Masha
Believe it or not, the millennial generation wasn’t always known for being coffee shop regulars, sporting ironic T-shirts, and debating the merits of artisanal avocado toast. There was a time when our biggest worry wasn’t crippling student loan debt or an unsteady job market. Instead, our innocent teenage selves were under siege by a relentless tide of unrealistic body standards, perpetuated by the media of the time.
Take for example the slimness ideal that prevailed well beyond the heyday of the “heroin chic” era. As young women, we were barraged with images of stick-thin celebrities, unrealistic beauty standards, and incessant weight loss “advice” that was often more harmful than helpful. It’s hardly a surprise that the rate of eating disorders escalated during this period. And while recovery is possible, the mental scars left by this period remain, etched deep into our collective psyche.
Not long ago, a viral tweet by @tara_watson_ triggered a deluge of responses by hitting a painfully raw nerve for many millennial women. The tweet stated, “Millennial women have trust issues because we were told for three Bridget Jones movies that this woman wasn’t thin,” accompanied by an image of a svelte Renee Zellweger in the titular role.
This tweet sparked a realization. Once upon a time, we were led to believe that Bridget was on the heavier side. Now, looking back, the lens of reality has shifted and the harsh truth is glaringly obvious. It’s a stark reminder of how deep the media’s influence ran, and the impact it had on our self-image.
The shared experiences coming out of this tweet are a sobering testament to how far we’ve come and yet how far we still have to go. Even as we’ve left those toxic beauty standards in the past, the work of healing continues.
Scroll down for some of the best points from the thread:
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