Ep 152: "Understanding Diet Culture & Its Impact on Body Image"

Diet culture is making a resurgence and we couldn't be more pissed off about it.

The signs are everywhere. New weight loss drugs that are making people think our bodes are more changeable than they actually are and promise in their advertising the same shit diets have promised for generations and failed to deliver on -- the myth of transformation. Former champions of body positivity have gone to the dark side. Vogue Business is reporting a "worrying return to using extremely thin models" and a drop-off in size inclusivity in the fashion industry.

There are whole industries out there that make billions of dollars each year by making us feel bad about our bodies and selling "solutions" to our "problematic" bodies that never actually provide any sustainable long term results. And every time we get wise and push back, they come up with some other thing that we should obsess over in order to be deemed worthy.

In this week's episode of The Fit Bottomed Girls Podcast, I sat down with FBG Alex to explore the resurgence of diet culture, its historical roots, and our personal experiences with disordered eating habits and poor body image provoked by diet culture's false promises of "thinness = health."

We're calling out diet culture for what it is—a force that keeps people perpetually chasing thinness under the guise of "health," often at the cost of their mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.

We both have been deeply affected in a negative way by diet culture—as two women who grew up in two different generations and two different countries—so we are not going back without putting up a fight. In this episode, we tackle diet culture head-on, expose its toxic roots, and call bullshit on its core arguments that:

• Conflate weight loss with health
• Make assumptions about people and their health based on their body size
• Establish certain foods or ingredients as “good” and others as “bad”

We also call out platforms like Tumblr (flashback to the "thigh gap" years) and Instagram for perpetuating toxic body standards. Social media has become a breeding ground for unrealistic “fitspiration” and fear mongering over what defines “good” or "clean" food. This influence has paved the resurgence of outdated thin-focused trends, even after years of body positivity efforts.

In this episode, we also share our own personal raw stories along side real, uplifting strategies for reshaping how we see our bodies. We also stress the importance of support systems in navigating these challenges and emphasize that healing is a journey that involves recognizing and managing one's thoughts and feelings about body image.

Whether you’re over the endless scroll of “fitspo” or tired of battling unrealistic expectations, this episode is packed with wisdom, compassion, and a whole lot of truth-telling. If you’re ready to challenge the noise and start rewriting your own body story, give this one a listen.

Here’s why we’re obsessed with this episode:

It's a raw and deeply personal chat about the re-emergence of diet culture and its unsettling impact on mental and physical health. From the societal pressures tied to thinness to the toxic influence of social media, this conversation peels back the layers of a system that far too often equates body image with worth.

🚨 Heads up, this episode dives into heavy, relatable territories like disordered eating and body image struggles.Whether you're navigating your own healing or simply curious about the nuances of diet culture—this one’s powerful.

Don’t skip this one if…

✅ You've ever what exactly is "diet culture."

✅ You’ve wondered how diet culture and social media influence our choices, beliefs, and beauty standards.

✅ You’re interested in how diet culture intersects with mental health, control, and historical societal norms.

✅ You’ve ever wondered how to push back on diet culture and unhealthy beauty standards.

Tune in now to hear the personal experiences of FBGs Alison and Alex!

👉 Listen to the Full Episode Here

👉 Watch the episode on YouTube

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How diet culture’s resurgence is fueled by social media trends and weight loss drug marketing.
• The slippery slope of labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”
• Why disordered behaviors (like orthorexia) can masquerade as “healthy habits."
• The emotional spiral of tying body image to self-worth.
• That healing isn’t about eliminating thoughts of shame—it’s about learning to manage them.

About Alex Kennedy

Alex is a badass Mindset & Life Coach for go-getters who want to achieve their massive goals AND thrive as a human (because you don’t have to sacrifice your well-being for success!). She also brings the “IT” to fitness through Shuffle Dance, where she embodies her weird, quirky personality on the dance floor while breaking a SWEAT and doing footwork faster than Scooby & Shaggy running on the spot. Her shuffle dance education platform, Shuffle S.H.R.E.D, teaches this iconic dance style AND ties in the importance of mindset to EVERYTHING she teaches her students.

Follow Alex

Alex Kennedy is a mindset coach with a knack for helping her clients unravel their tangled relationships with control, identity, and perfectionism. By sharing her own struggles with diet culture and body image, she validates the experiences we don’t always talk about. Stay connected with Alex on Instagram (@alexnicolekennedy) for more mindset tips and inspiration to help you face life’s challenges with grace.

Sponsor Shoutout

This episode was brought to you by Miles to Go Athletics. Take our app-based training community for a two-week no obligation test drive here.

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