The prevalence of eating disorders is increasing day by day. According to research, this increase has been particularly significant among young women over the past twenty years. But why? What’s behind all of this? What are the contributing factors?
For example, it is known that the “heroin chic” trend and the extreme thinness ideal that lasted from the late 1990s to the early 2000s played a significant role in the rise of anorexia nervosa cases, especially among young women.
Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder characterized by an individual’s excessive effort to control body weight and shape, the maintenance of low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image.
Let’s remember the early 2000s:
The rise of low-rise jeans, popular celebrities appearing on red carpets in extremely thin appearances, models walking runways on the brink of starvation, and Kate Moss’s iconic line: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
All of this deeply affected society, especially young women, resulting in people literally starving themselves to death trying to conform to the beauty ideals of the era.
When we look at the data from that period, the connection between the increase in anorexia cases and the media is clearly visible.
Today’s Trends: The Era Of The “Clean Girl”
So what trends are prominent in the media today? How do they affect our eating habits and psychology?
Imagine someone taking a brief scroll through social media. They’ve opened their screen and entered one of their favorite apps. One of the first things they encounter is the “clean girl” trend.
When examined closely, this trend not only affects appearance but also encourages lifestyle changes. These trends, which often reach the level of toxic positivity, create templates for how people should live their lives: minimalist makeup, neat hair, regular exercise, clean eating, and thin, young individuals.
It’s nearly impossible for these images—typically associated with beauty and success—not to influence young people.
Scroll a bit more, and fitness influencers appear on the screen: individuals following strict diet programs, normalizing supplement use, and sending a clear message to their followers:
“If you exercise like this and eat like this, you can look like me.”
The reality behind professionally lit and retouched photos often remains invisible.
Scroll again, and there are nutritionists (or people presenting themselves as experts) giving detox recipes in energetic tones, promoting “healthy eating” and shouting:
“30 kilos in 3 months!”
All these posts convey the same image:
“If you eat healthily, only then will you be productive, successful, valuable.”
The screen closes for the day—but similar content continues to appear dozens of times. And over time, what we eat and how we move begin to define our worth.
When “Healthy” Becomes Harmful: The Rise Of Orthorexia Nervosa
First, the decision is made to eat “clean.” Then, the intention to start regular exercise.
There’s nothing wrong with healthy eating and exercise; these are undoubtedly beneficial habits. The issue arises when balance is lost.
When a person begins to define their self-worth by their productivity and cleanliness, a modern eating disorder comes into play: Orthorexia nervosa.
Defined by Bratman and Knight (2000), orthorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a rigid obsession with healthy eating. Although it’s not yet an official diagnostic category, research increasingly emphasizes its clinical importance.
Individuals with orthorexia nervosa become excessively focused on food quality, experience intense anxiety about consuming foods that aren’t “clean,” and may face severe impairments in social functioning.
Recent studies show that orthorexia nervosa is strongly associated with perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive traits, and the need for control, and it’s particularly common among young adults who use social media heavily.
The Media’s Cyclical Power
The media’s impact on eating disorders is cyclical and powerful.
Just as anorexia nervosa fell victim to the “ideal body” narrative of the 2000s, today orthorexia nervosa emerges as the dark side of health, cleanliness, and optimization culture.
Here’s the real danger: as a society, we’re normalizing this disorder under the guise of health—even praising it.
We should ask ourselves:
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After our last meal, did we feel guilt or satisfaction?
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How much of our day is consumed by thoughts about food?
If the answers to these questions make you uncomfortable, perhaps it’s time to pause and reflect.
Orthorexia nervosa is spreading silently because it hides under the mask of “being healthy.” Recognizing it—and seeking professional help when necessary—should be one of the most important self-care practices of this age.
Health Should Liberate, Not Imprison
Being healthy should be a way of life, not a goal, and this way of life should liberate us, not imprison us.
Being at peace with our bodies, listening to their needs, and sometimes eating “unclean” foods are all part of true well-being. Because mental health is as important as physical health.
And most importantly, let’s remember:
What we eat doesn’t define us.
Our worth isn’t measured by how “clean” we eat.
Being healthy is important, of course—but when the effort to be healthy itself turns into an illness, it’s time to pause and take a breath.
Sometimes, the healthiest thing we can do is simply free ourselves from the pressure to be perfect.
References
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American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
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Bratman, S., & Knight, D. (2000). Health Food Junkies: Orthorexia Nervosa: Overcoming the Obsession with Healthful Eating. New York: Broadway Books.
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Turner, P. G., & Lefevre, C. E. (2017). Instagram use is linked to increased symptoms of orthorexia nervosa. Eating and Weight Disorders, 22(2), 277–284.