HEAD OVER MEALS
- Sanjana H Kumar
- Aug 31, 2021
- 5 min read
Exploring the "die" in diet culture
I love eating. Wherever I go, food is the only thing that I care about, especially junk food. How many of you are guilty of snacking on a big packet of Lays while watching your favourite show or quietly sneaking out of your room once everyone has fallen asleep and finishing that tub of chocolate fudge ice cream? I know I am. There is nothing compared to having hot chai and pakoras in the rain or having ice gola to beat the summer heat. And the way that sukha puri hits after a spicy plate of pani puri no, uff, thinking about it only makes my mouth water. If you are a foodie like me, you must have been a victim of several comments made by people, especially about your weight.
“Itni moti ho gayi hai, diet shiet karlo na” is something my mom heard constantly when we had relatives over. At some point, even my neighbours started giving us muft ka gyaan but even though I did not allow it to get to me, my mother was bothered by it. I was put on a diet to decrease weight. I know this is the case in many households. We are always told to maintain our weight so that we are “suitable” for marriage.
I agree that food is an essential part of wellness and a healthy lifestyle but it does not mean starving yourself to “look” fit. People have created a myth that if you are thin, you are doing healthy but at the same time, if you are too thin, you are compared to a stick or paper. Our society has given so much importance to the way people look, that, it has created a fear among people like you and me- fear of not being enough.
To understand what I am talking about, why don’t we tell you about the infamous concept of “Diet Culture”

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