Diet culture is that overly perky friend who insists they’re just “worried about your health,” while quietly suggesting your body should be smaller, tighter, lighter.

It’s not new; it’s centuries old, rooted in racism, classism, and misogyny. Colonial ideals tied whiteness, wealth, and thinness to “purity,” while labeling fat bodies, especially those of color, as lazy or less civilized.

Fast-forward to now, and those same ideals are dressed up in pastel aesthetics, green smoothies, and “self-care” hashtags.

We’re told certain foods are “clean” and others are “bad.” We moralize lunch like it’s a confession booth. The language of “discipline” and “self-control” has replaced “virtue” and “sin,” but the shame feels exactly the same.

Diet culture doesn’t want health; it wants hierarchy. It thrives when we believe we’re never enough.

And the wellness industry loves it. Detox teas, miracle powders, “guilt-free” snacks - each one profits from our self-doubt. If we ever stopped hating our bodies, a billion-dollar business would crumble.

So to help keep our heads sane, this post kicks off a series called “A Year in Diet Culture.” In 2026, each month we’ll explore how diet culture sneaks into our lives in seasonal disguises.

From January’s “New Year, New Me” to December’s “holiday guilt,” we’ll expose the sneaky ways body shame is marketed year-round and learn how to reject it... one sarcastic comment at a time

See you in January... arguably the most toxic month of the year

L x