Why Eating Disorders Are a Social Justice Issue

Confidently Nourished Admin — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 21:18:22 +0000

Eating disorders are often misunderstood as problems that only affect thin, white, affluent women – but this narrative leaves out so much of the truth. EDs impact people across all identities, body sizes, and backgrounds. And they don’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a social justice issue.

At Confidently Nourished, we recognize that eating disorders are deeply connected to systems of oppression. That understanding is central to how we care for our clients.

The Systems That Fuel Eating Disorders

Diet culture, fatphobia, racism, ableism, and transphobia all shape how people relate to food and their bodies and who gets access to care. These systems create pressure, shame, and trauma that can contribute to the development of disordered eating.

People in larger bodies are blamed and dismissed. BIPOC individuals are often misdiagnosed or ignored. LGBTQIA+ folks, especially trans and nonbinary people, face gatekeeping in treatment spaces. Many people can’t afford care at all, or don’t see themselves reflected in the providers offering it.

This isn’t just a care gap, it’s injustice.

The Role of the Medical System

The healthcare system often reinforces the very biases that lead to harm. Weight stigma leads to misdiagnosis. Trans and queer clients are denied affirming care. Marginalized identities are underrepresented in research and excluded from treatment models built on white, cisgender norms.

Even in eating disorder spaces, clients are often told they don’t “look sick enough” to deserve help – especially if they live in larger bodies, are people of color, or don’t fit traditional diagnostic categories.

What Justice-Oriented Care Looks Like

At Confidently Nourished, we practice from a Health at Every Size® (HAES) perspective. That means we don’t equate health with thinness, and we don’t use weight as a marker of progress or worth. Instead, we focus on helping clients reconnect with their bodies, build trust with food, and explore healing in ways that are aligned with their values and lived experiences.

Justice-oriented care means:

Affirming all bodies and identities. We welcome clients of all sizes, races, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities, and we work to create space that reflects that.
Centering lived experience. We know our clients are the experts of their own stories. We listen first and practice cultural humility.
Rejecting weight-focused approaches. We never prescribe weight loss, and we challenge weight stigma in and outside of sessions.
Naming systems of harm. We don’t ignore the social and political realities that shape our clients’ relationships with food and body. We talk about them, process them, and support clients in navigating them.
Practicing harm reduction. We meet clients where they are, not where we think they “should” be. Our harm reduction approach honors autonomy and prioritizes safety, consent, and choice. This philosophy has deep roots in BIPOC and Indigenous communities, and we aim to carry it forward with respect and intention. Here is a free group, hosted by Nalgona Positivity Pride, where you can learn more about this approach in community.
Prioritizing accessibility. We offer virtual sessions across multiple states, accept insurance, and provide flexible scheduling options.

We’re also committed to ongoing learning and unlearning as individuals and as a team so that our care continues to evolve and better support the communities we serve.

Healing in a World That Causes Harm

To truly support people in recovery, we must also challenge the systems that create harm. That includes how we talk about eating disorders, how we train providers, and how we build treatment spaces.
If you’re ready for compassionate, justice-informed support, book a discovery call with us or meet our team. You deserve care that honors your whole self.

SkinnyTok: The Harmful Trend Disguised as ‘Wellness’

Confidently Nourished Admin — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:57:50 +0000

TikTok is the place for everything from recipe hacks to dance trends, but not all social media content should be consumed. One disturbing trend gaining traction is SkinnyTok, a corner of the platform that glorifies thinness, weight loss, and often promotes disordered eating behaviors. While some videos might seem like harmless fitspo or diet advice, many cross the line into dangerous territory, reinforcing toxic body ideals and unhealthy habits.

Many people assume SkinnyTok is harmless because it’s not as extreme as EDTok (a more overt space for eating disorder content), but in reality, it’s just a more socially acceptable and palatable version of the same harmful messaging. It wraps dangerous ideas in a seemingly cute, quirky, aspirational package, making them easier to believe and harder to recognize as problematic.

So, Why is SkinnyTok Harmful?

Let’s explore:

It Normalizes Disordered Eating Behaviors. Many SkinnyTok videos encourage behaviors that align with eating disorders, such as extreme calorie restriction, excessive exercise, or using harmful weight-loss methods. These messages can be particularly dangerous for those who are already vulnerable to body image concerns.
It Perpetuates the Thin Ideal The underlying message of SkinnyTok is that smaller is always better. This promotes an unrealistic and harmful beauty standard, making viewers feel as though their worth is tied to their body size. It also neglects that body diversity (the fact that bodies come in all shapes, sizes and more) exists.
It Triggers and Reinforces Eating Disorders For those in eating disorder recovery, SkinnyTok can be a major trigger, pulling them back into restrictive or compulsive behaviors. Even for those without a history of an eating disorder, repeated exposure to these messages can increase body dissatisfaction and disordered eating patterns.
It Uses Shame and Guilt as Motivators SkinnyTok often relies on shame and guilt to drive behavior change – two of the least effective and most damaging motivators. Messages like “What’s your excuse?” or “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” imply that struggling with food or body image is a personal failure. Shame and guilt don’t lead to sustainable or healthy choices; instead, they fuel cycles of restriction, anxiety, and self-criticism, making it even harder to have a balanced relationship with food and body.
It Spreads Misinformation About Health and Nutrition Social media isn’t exactly known for evidence-based nutrition advice, and SkinnyTok is no exception. Many videos promote unhealthy and unsustainable diets, misleading viewers into believing that extreme measures are necessary for ‘health’ or ‘beauty.’

How to Combat and Challenge SkinnyTok

If you find yourself doom-scrolling through these harmful messages, or if you’re worried about someone you love being influenced, here are some ways to push back:

Curate Your Feed – TikTok’s algorithm is powerful, but you can train it. Engage with weight-neutral and intuitive eating content, or find a new topic to explore. Unfollow and block the accounts that promote unhealthy messages or make you feel less than.
Follow Credible, Supportive Voices – Seek out registered dietitians, therapists, and body liberation advocates who share evidence-based, compassionate content. We love:
- Clara Nosek, RD – @yourdietitianbff
- Sammy Previte, RD – @findfoodfreedom
- Dalina Sota, RD – @yourlatinanutritionist
- Allyson Ford, LPCC – @bodyjusticetherapist
- Stephanie Yeboah, body image advocate and writer – @stephyeboah
- Hot Fat Guy Club (founded by Alex Frankel) – @hotfatguyclub
Have Honest Conversations – If a friend or loved one’s algorithm has been taken over by SkinnyTok, talk to them about what they’re seeing and how it makes them feel. Encourage a critical view of social media’s unrealistic and unfair standards.
Prioritize Your Well-being – If scrolling through TikTok is making you feel bad about yourself, take a step back and have the same conversation with yourself! Set boundaries with social media and focus on content that uplifts and supports you.

How Working with a Dietitian Can Help

Navigating body image pressures and disordered eating messages can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. At Confidently Nourished, our team of registered dietitians specializes in intuitive eating and eating disorder recovery. We help clients develop a healthier relationship with food, break free from toxic diet culture, and build sustainable habits that support both physical and mental well-being.If you’re struggling with the impact of SkinnyTok or diet culture in general, we’re here to help. Reach out today to start working with a compassionate, weight-neutral dietitian who truly understands. Your body deserves respect, nourishment, and care – just as it is.

Confidently Nourished Admin | Confidently NourishED