Before I get into today’s story, I wanted to share that I’m co-hosting an upcoming workshop for journalists, creators, survivors, and anyone who works with survivors about best interviewing practices. Topics include how to lessen the impact of retraumatization and vicarious trauma for both interviewers and interviewees. If you’re interested, get your tickets now! I hope to see some of you there.

The following piece may be triggering to those who struggle with disordered eating and body image. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline provides resources about treatment options at 1-866-662-1235, or you can text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 if you are experiencing a crisis. More information can be found on the National Eating Disorder Association’s website.

Back in the early 2000s, magazines in grocery store checkout lines filled their covers with photos of celebrity women at their lowest weight. Their headlines read “Scary Skinny! Alarming new photos spark more fears for [their] health!” “Skinny S.O.S! Stars’ Scary New Affliction—And It’s Contagious!” and “Is the celeb obsession with weight loss out of control?”

They guessed these women’s weight and printed those made-up numbers on the cover, diagnosed them with eating disorders like anorexia from afar, and zoomed in on photos showing the outline of their bones through their skin. They used words like “concern” to indicate this wasn’t just about judging appearances. No, no. This was about the greater good. This was about setting a better example for young girls. It was about getting these ladies help, away from prying eyes.

But of course it wasn’t. We know that the tabloid industry was never interested in their targets’ wellbeing. They profited from paparazzi, harassment, smears, and unending scrutiny. The more they could drive these women to the brink and capture it all on camera and glossy pages, the better it was for their bottom line. 

Today, this exact same dynamic is playing out on TikTok, and anyone can be the new tabloid. But when it comes to stars like Ariana Grande, Jenna Ortega, and a growing list of celebrity women (huh, I wonder why it’s all women?), we’ve seemingly forgotten that blasting someone for being “too skinny” in the public eye isn’t helpful—it’s actively harmful. For them and others. It doesn’t combat thinness as the beauty standard. It doesn’t dissuade people from developing eating disorders or help those in recovery. It didn’t stem the rising tide of EDs in the 2000s or the 2010s, and it’s not going to stop the still-rising tide in the 2020s, either.

I’ve been writing about eating disorders and internet culture for years, and I’ve even written about Grande and the concern around her for the past two years. I’ve spoken to more than a dozen practitioners in the field of eating disorders and countless fans, worried onlookers, and people in various stages of ED recovery. I don’t have all the answers for combatting this crisis. But I have a much better idea than what I’ve been seeing on social media.