·S7 E6
The Wellness Trap: How 'healthy' content harms users at risk for eating disorders
Episode Description
Wellness culture promises optimum health. New research suggests it might be hiding a bigger risk: disordered eating.
Beth Shelton sits down with researcher Ruby Kagan to unpack why. We're used to thinking that visuals of thin bodies online drive the risk of eating disorders. Kagan's research points to something else. The bigger problem is wellness framing itself.
Kagan studied "what I eat in a day" and clean eating videos on TikTok. She found that the more "healthy" and admirable a video felt, the less likely viewers were to notice it was actually about food restriction. Often, that restriction was extreme, and not healthy at all.
She unpacks what she calls the "aestheticisation of restriction," and how we and our loved ones can protect ourselves from an endless scroll of content that isn't what it seems. You'll hear how wellness can disguise harm, and how to engage with your feed with a more critical eye.
Resources
FOLLOW BUTTERFLY'S NEW CAMPAIGN REDEFINING WELLNESS
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Production Team:
- Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
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