Food content has existed in this paradox for a while — I’m surprised you don’t touch on mukbangs here (but maybe that’s covered in the next one). People usually do catch on that a fantasy is being sold when they watch a pregnant woman make cereal from scratch in a pretty gown but the allure is still there. Whether it’s watching pretty girls create elaborate meals or just photos of dinner plates at a new restaurant every day, there’s the implication that food is a luxury, which of course it isn’t—but maybe that emerging belief is the byproduct of a culture that promotes disordered eating for the sake of beauty.
It only clicked as I was writing it! I think it’s helpful to reflect on how diet culture & glamorization of EDs creates messaging all over the place of food as something to be “earned” / “deserved” (thinking of how casually shame is tucked into how we talk about it: “cheat foods” “guilty pleasure” etc) rather than just a basic need for anyone living in a body, so thank you for opening the conversation!
I’ve been thinking about this as well with the weird tik tok food edging content that was on my feed for a while and the model to content food creator pipeline that I’ve noticed.
Love. Seeing this trend emerge has been wild. It’s just socioeconomic inequality porn. Like you said, it’s not just about how much of the food they eat. It’s the ingredients, the time & the money. People can’t stop watching bc they have what many people don’t, which is disposable income, time & a big big kitchen.
Also love the inclusion of Pete Wells too - I’d not heard about the impact of his job on his health. Can’t wait for part 2!!
so good + i feel myself getting irrationally angry watching videos of model thin girls cooking big meals knowing they are continuing to get thinner and thinner. it feels like a cover or something and it's triggering affff
Wow! This is so fascinating and something I had never thought about. As a New Yorker who loves restaurants myself, I always hoped everyone would view them the way I do--ways to share and celebrate culture. It's disheartening to see the double standard for women, especially when restaurants can bring about such joy and community and even learning. This made me think a lot about your letter about white women's voices. I hope the narrative shifts away from curating and overanalyzing white women while marginalizing women of color. I look forward to part ii! Thank you for bringing this to my attention <3
i loved this there is such a fetishization that exists in wanting to see things women eat that is so gross to me - i’m not sure what is more dangerous, thin women being honest about what they eat or them lying about eating “normal” food like bread or pasta
This performance of eating while it's obvious that most of them have eating disorders... it irks me in a way, but I still get inspired by some recipes.
Obsessed. I watch a lot of recipe TikTok’s bc they’re usually pretty quick and easy and while I usually take my recipes from midwestern women who look like me and are feeding their family (lol) I do a occasionally stumble upon the rail-thin chefluencer who I doubt has ever finished a full plate of her own food
Also my most beloved TikTok account of this married lesbian couple where one wife is from Korea and one wife is from Mexico and they make each other’s cultural foods all the time especially now that one of them is pregnant !! https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFfQsTHV/
Seeing food content like this or like mukbangs always makes me feel a little queasy. I'm really glad you mentioned the Pete Wells article. My main problem isn't so much the discrepancy between their thin, attractive appearance and the excessive eating but the lack of consideration for nutrition and also a lack of responsibility when it comes to what they are disseminating to their often young and impressionable audiences. It seems that social media in general has made a certain sort of food culture proliferate, from aesthetic pictures of food on Instagram to mukbangs to hot women professing their love for burgers and pizza—which somehow makes me think of how The Best American Travel Writing, which my father used to love and which he collected for over 20 years, was jettisoned a couple of years ago in order to make space for The Best American Food Writing. Thanks for this insightful post!
Fantastic piece,—eating stands out to me as such a private, almost primal, thing to do. There's an old adage that you shouldn't eat in front of anyone you don't trust and there's also the whole thing about breaking bread with one another. Eating together's an intimacy. And this whole phenomenon turns that intimacy through eating with someone into a personal brand. It's no wonder these eating accounts have gotten so strange, it feels a little bit like a microculture spiraling out from what was once a private affair of sharing a meal together. I wonder too how many of these videos are seen by people who are themselves eating,—and would that be almost a parasocial dinner out on the town? I don't know. It's all interesting (and a little disconcerting tbh) to think about. Our little human niceties becoming consumptive brands through the guise of the history of food reviewing, which as you pointed out doesn't share a whole lot with the current trend of models eating turkey sandwiches.
I wonder too how much class factors into all of this, like the ability to eat "what you want" with no real bodily consequences while maintaining an elegant, thin tradwife composure isn't something most people can achieve.
I think a lot of people "eat along" with the creators they watch, which relates to the loneliness epidemic and how we form parasocial bonds with influencers who make us feel safe/connected
Very eiree, very weird. It is a subconscious reason that I prefer making content on Substack not insta or tiktok videos. I don't want people to follow me just because of the way that I look. I have recently started tiktok but post without makeup on etc, I hope that this helps.... Also brings up the age-old trope of how we put far too much emphasis on the artist, not the art. I hope there is a way forward xox
Loved this. Food content creation by alluring women feels like a new fetish. I find it also satisfying to watch.
I also agree with the fact that no one knows what happens behind closed doors and when the camera is off in terms of what happens with all the food prepared.
Interestingly, I’m used to host people for dinner at mine and I make lots of dishes from scratch, some are healthy, some less healthy, and I also bake. Despite me making all this food, I don’t really eat much. I don’t know if I do consciously or unconsciously as making the food brought me the satisfaction I was looking after. Sometimes I’m just tired and my appetite is gone too.
People love when pretty girls sell them food!! That’s a huge part of the dining industry, from family owned restaurants to chains to fine dining. Speaking as FOH staff (:
As someone who isn’t heavily invested in celebrity culture, I must say I have a soft spot for the Carlson sisters. That being said, Sydney’s videos do make me feel a bit unnerved. She has quite a flat affect, which could just be her normal look, but that coupled with the outfits she wears and the food she cooks makes me feel like I’m traveling back in time in an unsettling way.
Totally fascinating analysis! I agree with your argument that "something sinister is behind all this." I live in Southern California and see the paradox of super thin women and obsession with good food in this part of the country all the time. I think you're on to something when you explore the completely unrealistic fantasy that these videos present. Bringing in the male NYT food critic was also enlightening as you explore the real-life outcomes of eating out constantly. Thanks for a great piece!
Great written piece. Food is for joy. Which social media aspect fails at times. Women seeing eating too much foods gives an acceptance Women can eat whatever we want and maintain a certain size. We should focus more on healthy relationships with food. Because the past twenty-five years have done the opposite.
Food content has existed in this paradox for a while — I’m surprised you don’t touch on mukbangs here (but maybe that’s covered in the next one). People usually do catch on that a fantasy is being sold when they watch a pregnant woman make cereal from scratch in a pretty gown but the allure is still there. Whether it’s watching pretty girls create elaborate meals or just photos of dinner plates at a new restaurant every day, there’s the implication that food is a luxury, which of course it isn’t—but maybe that emerging belief is the byproduct of a culture that promotes disordered eating for the sake of beauty.
Wow your last sentence got me
It only clicked as I was writing it! I think it’s helpful to reflect on how diet culture & glamorization of EDs creates messaging all over the place of food as something to be “earned” / “deserved” (thinking of how casually shame is tucked into how we talk about it: “cheat foods” “guilty pleasure” etc) rather than just a basic need for anyone living in a body, so thank you for opening the conversation!
I’ve been thinking about this as well with the weird tik tok food edging content that was on my feed for a while and the model to content food creator pipeline that I’ve noticed.
Love. Seeing this trend emerge has been wild. It’s just socioeconomic inequality porn. Like you said, it’s not just about how much of the food they eat. It’s the ingredients, the time & the money. People can’t stop watching bc they have what many people don’t, which is disposable income, time & a big big kitchen.
Also love the inclusion of Pete Wells too - I’d not heard about the impact of his job on his health. Can’t wait for part 2!!
Thank you Martha!! I totally agree it's all about privilege
so good + i feel myself getting irrationally angry watching videos of model thin girls cooking big meals knowing they are continuing to get thinner and thinner. it feels like a cover or something and it's triggering affff
Yes completely agree
Wow! This is so fascinating and something I had never thought about. As a New Yorker who loves restaurants myself, I always hoped everyone would view them the way I do--ways to share and celebrate culture. It's disheartening to see the double standard for women, especially when restaurants can bring about such joy and community and even learning. This made me think a lot about your letter about white women's voices. I hope the narrative shifts away from curating and overanalyzing white women while marginalizing women of color. I look forward to part ii! Thank you for bringing this to my attention <3
Thank you for reading! I also grew up in NYC where my fav restaurants were such a big part of my childhood—memory, family, culture—so I totally relate
i loved this there is such a fetishization that exists in wanting to see things women eat that is so gross to me - i’m not sure what is more dangerous, thin women being honest about what they eat or them lying about eating “normal” food like bread or pasta
Right…you can't win
This performance of eating while it's obvious that most of them have eating disorders... it irks me in a way, but I still get inspired by some recipes.
Obsessed. I watch a lot of recipe TikTok’s bc they’re usually pretty quick and easy and while I usually take my recipes from midwestern women who look like me and are feeding their family (lol) I do a occasionally stumble upon the rail-thin chefluencer who I doubt has ever finished a full plate of her own food
What's the best thing you've made recently
This is a classic recipe in my household that I got when I had sweet potatoes and didn’t know what to make: https://asimplepalate.com/wprm_print/2371 but in terms of TikTok recipes I made this recently with regular tomato sauce and rice: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFfQyWVe/
Also my most beloved TikTok account of this married lesbian couple where one wife is from Korea and one wife is from Mexico and they make each other’s cultural foods all the time especially now that one of them is pregnant !! https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFfQsTHV/
AMAZING thank you!!!!
Seeing food content like this or like mukbangs always makes me feel a little queasy. I'm really glad you mentioned the Pete Wells article. My main problem isn't so much the discrepancy between their thin, attractive appearance and the excessive eating but the lack of consideration for nutrition and also a lack of responsibility when it comes to what they are disseminating to their often young and impressionable audiences. It seems that social media in general has made a certain sort of food culture proliferate, from aesthetic pictures of food on Instagram to mukbangs to hot women professing their love for burgers and pizza—which somehow makes me think of how The Best American Travel Writing, which my father used to love and which he collected for over 20 years, was jettisoned a couple of years ago in order to make space for The Best American Food Writing. Thanks for this insightful post!
Thank you for reading!
THIS
Fantastic piece,—eating stands out to me as such a private, almost primal, thing to do. There's an old adage that you shouldn't eat in front of anyone you don't trust and there's also the whole thing about breaking bread with one another. Eating together's an intimacy. And this whole phenomenon turns that intimacy through eating with someone into a personal brand. It's no wonder these eating accounts have gotten so strange, it feels a little bit like a microculture spiraling out from what was once a private affair of sharing a meal together. I wonder too how many of these videos are seen by people who are themselves eating,—and would that be almost a parasocial dinner out on the town? I don't know. It's all interesting (and a little disconcerting tbh) to think about. Our little human niceties becoming consumptive brands through the guise of the history of food reviewing, which as you pointed out doesn't share a whole lot with the current trend of models eating turkey sandwiches.
I wonder too how much class factors into all of this, like the ability to eat "what you want" with no real bodily consequences while maintaining an elegant, thin tradwife composure isn't something most people can achieve.
I think a lot of people "eat along" with the creators they watch, which relates to the loneliness epidemic and how we form parasocial bonds with influencers who make us feel safe/connected
Definitely think class is a huge factor.
Very eiree, very weird. It is a subconscious reason that I prefer making content on Substack not insta or tiktok videos. I don't want people to follow me just because of the way that I look. I have recently started tiktok but post without makeup on etc, I hope that this helps.... Also brings up the age-old trope of how we put far too much emphasis on the artist, not the art. I hope there is a way forward xox
Loved this. Food content creation by alluring women feels like a new fetish. I find it also satisfying to watch.
I also agree with the fact that no one knows what happens behind closed doors and when the camera is off in terms of what happens with all the food prepared.
Interestingly, I’m used to host people for dinner at mine and I make lots of dishes from scratch, some are healthy, some less healthy, and I also bake. Despite me making all this food, I don’t really eat much. I don’t know if I do consciously or unconsciously as making the food brought me the satisfaction I was looking after. Sometimes I’m just tired and my appetite is gone too.
if I were smart, i would just take pics of myself eating instead of going through the trouble of writing long-winded essays about food.
…also currently working on an piece on the technological gaze of white women and food and this is very helpful and validating content — thank you!
People love when pretty girls sell them food!! That’s a huge part of the dining industry, from family owned restaurants to chains to fine dining. Speaking as FOH staff (:
As someone who isn’t heavily invested in celebrity culture, I must say I have a soft spot for the Carlson sisters. That being said, Sydney’s videos do make me feel a bit unnerved. She has quite a flat affect, which could just be her normal look, but that coupled with the outfits she wears and the food she cooks makes me feel like I’m traveling back in time in an unsettling way.
I have a soft spot too. I love wildflower lol
Ditto✌️they’re just so precious
Totally fascinating analysis! I agree with your argument that "something sinister is behind all this." I live in Southern California and see the paradox of super thin women and obsession with good food in this part of the country all the time. I think you're on to something when you explore the completely unrealistic fantasy that these videos present. Bringing in the male NYT food critic was also enlightening as you explore the real-life outcomes of eating out constantly. Thanks for a great piece!
Thank you so much Kathleen!
Great written piece. Food is for joy. Which social media aspect fails at times. Women seeing eating too much foods gives an acceptance Women can eat whatever we want and maintain a certain size. We should focus more on healthy relationships with food. Because the past twenty-five years have done the opposite.
Food is joy!
Yes, it is.