Social media and the rise of the eternal dieter

Put it away, Monroe.

As a kid, I used to be really chubby. Adults would often pinch my cheeks and squeal in delight about their chubbiness. My mother would often call me her little elephant, but I wouldn’t want to bore you with my childhood traumas. I'll leave that to my therapist.

Instead, I wanted to address a topic a vast majority of women can relate to. The topic that comes up in almost every conversation, along with those dreaded words 'weight loss', 'scales', 'fat', or 'skinny'.

Did those words just send a virtual shiver down your spine? I can only speak for myself when I say that thoughts regarding my weight and my appearance cross my mind at least once a day. Not at all surprising, when you stop to realise how we're being bombarded by mass media with pictures of stunning, skinny models who fit the stereotype of the ‘perfect’ woman far too well. We stumble across them when we wake up - from breakfast cereals promising weight loss if you eat two bowls a day, to ads saying you can be happy with surgery on the tube and bus on your evening commute.

They tell us that no one will want us if we have an inch of fat on our thighs, or that bikinis should only be worn by 5'10" Brazilian models. So in order to fit into that perfect stereotype, we torment ourselves with diets.

But forget films and ads. We know they're trying to sell us something, and playing on insecurities is the best way to do that. It's inspirational boards on Pinterest, mobile apps that track weight changes, Facebook groups encouraging thin women to be that tiny bit thinner, and tweets of morsel-like dinners and however-many-miles you just did on the cross-trainer, that worry me the most. Social media's now keeping us uber-motivated to reach that goal.

So I ask this: why are we being so hard and judgemental on ourselves? Why not love our body the way it is, rather than trying so desperately to change it according to someone else’s view of what beauty is? Of course, there's a difference between suffering cardiac arrest because of morbid obesity and gaining a few pounds. But do we really need to focus on a set of numbers that obsessively?

Personally, I'm not able to answer that question for you. But I do have a sister who aspires to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel someday, and as her personal coach and manager for the moment being, I do what I can to keep that girl focused on the Emily diet. You know the one, from The Devil Wears Prada, where she says 'I'm on this new diet. I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight!'

Because this is business.

Niki is a Grecian gal, and has a love for tea and all things New York. Although she's lived in Greece all her life, she's now taking a leap of faith and moving to the Netherlands. On top of all that, she has a sister who thinks she´s adopted, and a mother who can´t cook even if her life depended on it.