What is a ‘girl dinner’ and why has it sparked controversy?
The phenomenon is based around celebrating the low-effort meals a woman might cobble together and enjoy alone, but with eating disorder content still rife on TikTok – where the latest food trend has taken off – many have raised concerns over its ties to diet culture. If you’ve spent any...
Current in Wellness
Opinion – Stop body shaming women in the public eye
Recent online commentary negatively targeting Bebe Rexha’s weight gain proves that discourse around female celebrity’s appearance is still rife on social media. Retiring this inherently toxic form of trolling is long overdue. You’d think we’d have grown tired of obsessing over women’s bodies by now, especially within industries that significantly...
Why aren’t we talking about Binge Eating Disorder?
BED affects three times the number of people than anorexia and bulimia combined, but despite how common it is, research into and awareness of the condition remains limited. In our image-obsessed world, the fact that so many people suffer from an eating disorder is plausible and saddening. Every day, despite body...
Our obsession with collagen is hurting the planet
An investigation into the supply chains of this ‘wonder product’ for skin, ageing, and health that’s at the centre of a global wellness craze has uncovered a dark side to its cultivation. Collagen, which makes up 60 per cent of our cartilage, accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of...
Juice cleanses aren’t the holistic venture many think they are
Juice detoxes, cleanses – whatever you want to call them – are not backed up by any scientific research. So why do people claim to feel better when doing them? The truth, while common sense, is often shrouded by wellness jargon. ‘I’m doing a cleanse’ your friend declares, before sipping...
Opinion – stop excluding men from the body positivity conversation
The archaic mindset that vulnerability isn’t ‘manly’ – particularly regarding image and self-esteem – should not be an excuse for rejecting men from our efforts to challenge unrealistic beauty standards. For as long as I’m able to remember, women have been the primary target of societal body critique. Permeating almost...
Procrastination has been linked to poor mental and physical health
Avoiding certain responsibilities might feel rewarding in the moment, but it’s likely worse for our mental and physical well-being in the long run. A breadth of studies have shown that chronic procrastination isn’t just bad for our to-do lists, but also for our mental and physical health in the long term. While most of us give into procrastinating every now and then, the consequences become a lot different when we make...
Exposure to body positive content can help aid mental health
A new study has labelled the viewing of diverse figures on the internet as an effective ‘micro-intervention’ for self-esteem that prevents or limits the adverse impacts of social media. For decades, body positivity has lived comfortably in mainstream media. Acting as a remedy to idealistic, unattainable beauty standards we’ve long been pressured into accepting, it’s often praised as a force for good. For those whose appearance sits outside the range of...
Social media ‘weight loss’ trend causes Ozempic shortage
The Ozempic injection, which keeps blood sugar levels in check for patients with Type 2 diabetes, has been in shortage for months following tenuous claims online that celebrities are using it to lose weight. In 2022, social media inspired many of the ways we sought to improve our wellbeing – but not always for the better. Some began self-diagnosing themselves after being bombarded with mental health content...
Is egg freezing really a golden ticket to delaying parenthood?
The option for women to freeze their eggs is now regularly recommended by doctors, promoted in popular culture, and marketed to the masses via social media advertisements. But should we be wary of depending on its success? A new world record was broken last month, with two twin babies born from human embryos frozen over 30 years ago. The embryos had been stored inside liquid nitrogen at -128C back in 1992....
