Zoe’s World: The Frightening ‘Thinspiration’ Fad

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Zoe O'Connor 1BEING a part of the teenage world, I experience a lot of teenager issues.

A lot of people know about these issues from either experiencing them in their own childhood or from experiencing them today.

Drinking, drugs and peer pressure all seem to rank up there. But there have been some new additions to the ‘Teenage Issues’ list thanks to the lovely world of the internet.

One of these new additions is known as ‘thinspiration’ and there has been a lot of talk about it recently.

Of course, ‘thinspiration’ could affect anyone of any age, but us influential teenagers seem to be the ones who spend the most time trawling through the internet.

These ‘thinspiration’ blogs honestly terrify me. I know that many fads pass through society – it’s all about what is in vogue, which I was totally okay with before phrases like “thigh gap” and “bikini bridge” suddenly started to pop up on the radar.

I have looked at these blogs – not to begin the crazy journey into the “perfect” body – but to research for this article.

Even though I went to these blogs just to try and understand what they are all about, my own self confidence was shattered a little.

Continued below…

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They are filled with endless pictures of girls with flat stomachs, protruding hipbones and stick-thin legs.

On some of the pictures are what are meant to be the inspirational quotes that give these blogs their name.

Some of these quotes say things that give the sick idea that all of this is okay. They say things like “I only feel beautiful when I am hungry” or “eating isn’t very Chanel”. Apparently, these are the quotes that drive people on with their mission to be thin.

You could ask yourself the question “Why do people go to these blogs?”?

Zoe's Column 2

A quote designed to ‘inspire’ young women to get protruding hipbones.

Well, in my opinion, they go to them because it is simply the latest motivator in the mission to be like the girls in magazines. Because somehow, being thin has become confused with being perfect.

The thing is that the people who trawl these websites are able to give reasons for the need for perfection. Because it all comes back to self-confidence. These websites have literally brainwashed people into thinking that people will judge them, or hate them, if they don’t have an eating disorder.

Remember, this isn’t just some far off problem that happens only online in the internet world, disturbingly this happens here in Tralee.

School just seems like a breeding ground for it. It never ends. I hear girls saying things like “Have you seen her thigh gap?” or “OMG she is so thin and so perfect”.

You can just feel the other girls looking down at themselves and just thinking that if they can be thin, maybe they can be accepted.

I know girls who literally stop eating – who throw away their lunches and hope no one notices – all in the hope of being perfect.

But honestly, just like everything else, perfection is a matter of opinion and I would rather see a healthy girl than a sick girl. I think that most people would agree.

I want a stop to be put to this horrific fad. I don’t want to be a witness to girls literally starving themselves to try to look like the people on these blogs. I want healthy people who eat and keep the restaurants in town open.

The thing is that ‘thinspiration’ isn’t just affecting girls my age, it can affect everyone. There are different fads for different people, men included.

No matter what is the latest skinny trend, don’t succumb to it. It needs to be stopped, these blogs shut down and society needs to seriously re-evaluate its idea of what is perfection, and put health and happiness first. We all have a role to play.

Until next time…

Zoë x

• Zoë O’Connor is on Twitter @Zobo2402

 

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