By Brendalis Puig
Imagine scrolling through your Twitter timeline to distract yourself, only to discover a world that celebrates editing disorders, obsessively promoting them for others to pursue. In this world, users post daily updates of their drastic weight loss following extreme diets, rate each other's bodies, guess each other's body mass index, and shame those whose weight does not meet what they consider to be skinny. Welcome to the world of “ED Twitter,” an unsettling side of the platform X, previously known as Twitter.
“ED Twitter” is short for Eating Disorder Twitter, and it has rapidly become a hotspot for people to obsess over their body image. It’s not news that the early 2000s body image is making a comeback with its extensive diet culture and unattainable body stands.
As people are constantly bombarded with content that glorifies being underweight, those seeking to obtain these impossible-to-attain standards are now turning to dangerous practices in their pursuit of losing weight.
Eating an apple a day while surviving the rest of the day with only coffee is seen as a triumph throughout the platform X; some users even go as far as admitting how worried they are as they hope they don’t pass out due to consuming as low as 200 calories a day.
With alarming images of bodies under the name of “thin inspo,” individuals post underweight bodies as the inspiration for their body goal to promote heavy workout routines for which users claim only work as long as they starve themselves.
Alexia Vorbe, a senior in television and digital media, reflects on the self-destructive behaviors promoted on X.
“I think “ED Twitter” works as a good example of when community becomes detrimental. Many young kids, particularly young women, are encouraging each other to engage in self-destructive behaviors, with the objective of obtaining an impossible and deadly beauty goal.”
Vorbe also points out the insufficient guidelines of the platform. “The lack of guidelines also makes it increasingly difficult to monitor the age of members within the community,” she said. “ED Twitter is kind of like a portal into the dark parts of the internet, and it always baffles me to see just how normalized the casual approach to eating disorders has become today.”
The Child Mind Institute reported in November of 2023 that on college campuses, approximately 10 to 20 percent of women and 4 to 10 percent of men suffer from an eating disorder, with rates on the rise. They highlight anorexia and bulimia as being the two most common eating disorders.
Jaysha Epperson, a television and digital media senior, stated, “They should not be promoting that online, and it’s not realistic to have the mentality of starving yourself.”
The Eating Recovery Center revealed in February of this year that 9% of the United States population will struggle with an eating disorder at some point in their lives, which is an equivalent of 28.8 million Americans. Their data also shows that eating disorders account for 10,200 deaths each year, resulting in one death every 52 minutes.
Eating disorders can cause great consequences that affect the physical and emotional well-being of individuals. Common consequences include fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, kidney failure, stomach pain, dizziness and even liver inflammation.
Marie Pierre, a sophomore nursing major, provided her perspective on the impacts of eating disorders for The Buccaneer.
“People who are impacted by these practices may suffer from malnutrition, reduced immune systems, and even organ failure in severe circumstances. Mentally, it may contribute to anorexia and other body image difficulties,” said Pierre.
As a future nurse, she also emphasized how critical it is to foster a safe environment where people share their struggles and the importance of educating them on the consequences of these extreme diets.
Manager of the Health Promotion and Wellness Office at Barry University, Alena Costume, offered her insights on how to help students develop a healthier body image.
“To help students develop a healthier body image and resist negative social media influences, it's important to implement strategies that foster self-awareness, critical thinking and self-compassion,” she said.
Alena Costume explained there are resources and support systems available on campus at Barry for students dealing with eating disorders at the Office of Health Pro - motion and Wellness, the Office of Counseling Services and the Office of Student Health Services.
The rise of “ED Twitter” highlights a concerning trend in modern society. The high rates of eating disorders among society as a whole demonstrate the urgent need for strong support systems. As social media continues to influence people’s perceptions of body image, it’s crucial to promote safe practices and provide the resources needed to fight against the harmful effects of eating disorders
Very good and informative article
I am in awe to know that this type of behavior is not being monitored and banned by the mentioned social media platform. These eating disorders are so dangerous, and they should be exposed not celebrated.