Eating disorders are widely discussed and evident in Western societies, often conceptualised as a symptom of cultural backlash against increased independence in women (Tsouluhas, 1999). Formally, eating disorders (EDs) are defined as persistent disturbances in eating behaviour resulting in altered food consumption or absorption which affects health by impairing the physical or psychological individual functioning (Doku et al., 2024).
With Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa being the most common disorders, other asymptomatic behaviours associated with eating disorders—inclusive of laxative abuse, self-starvation, excessive comparison, extreme exercise and induced vomiting—are still responses to obtaining a glamourised body. In the Global South, issues of body image and eating disorders often go unnoticed and unspoken mainly because of the lack of education, lack of vocabulary for EDs in local languages and stigmatisation of mental illnesses (Bryant, 2021). Nonetheless, severity of symptoms increases due to issues of misdiagnosis and because eating disorders are conceptualised to only exist in young white American women, which slows down the chances of timely intervention (Kempa & Thomas, 2000).
Although genetic predispositions and other socio-cultural issues contribute to the development of eating disorders, it is vital to acknowledge the role of media (literature, film & art) misinterpretation and glamourisation in the development of these disorders. Studies also indicate the link between social media use and the development of eating disorder patterns and undesirable body image judgements through fitness influencers, promotion of diets and weight-loss aids which normalise harmful eating behaviours, particularly in adolescents (Suhag & Rauniyar, 2024). For instance, the 75 Hard Challenge perpetuates unrealistic and unattainable goals for certain groups of people, which perfectly illustrates how trends like this place people at risk for negative outcomes in disordered eating, body dissatisfaction and body image outcomes (Lamere, 2025). This is also backed by the “big back” joke on TikTok and by the increase of EDs during COVID-19 due to fitness influencers such as Chloe Ting, who fuelled negative body obsession with shred challenges (Todd, 2025). Other studies also indicate undergraduate students as a vulnerable population with high prevalence of eating disorders due to their perception of body shape and size (Doku et al., 2024).
Beyond virtual spaces, these ideals manifest in everyday interactions, reinforcing the depth in which beauty standards are embedded in communal and familial settings. The societal pressure to obtain the ideal physique is fuelled by family and peer influences through body shaming, particularly from aunties at family events who utter words like “wanenepatu” (Chichewa verbatim for “you have gained weight”) before they even ask how you are. More recently, loneliness has been found as a precursor of EDs as it mediates emotional dysregulation, as maladaptive eating behaviours become coping mechanisms (Rabarbari et al., 2025). All these factors lead to body dissatisfaction, distorted body image and the development of insecurities due to excessive comparisons and contorted eating and exercise behaviours.