Not everyone suffers from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, but increasing numbers of people are developing an unhealthy relationship with food.
Experts are characterising this grey area in which people become concerned about what they eat and how they look as "food anxiety." It can affect as many as one in every two women, according to Dr. Fanny Jacq, psychiatrist and director of mental health at Qare, the medical teleconsultation service.
The typical profile is a young, urban or peri-urban, active and hyperconnected woman. It affects 44% of women and rises to 60% among 16–25-year-olds. It also affects older women, but food anxiety has been common in this demographic for many years. For example, it seems normal for older women to diet before the summer and yoyo between the seasons.
At the time of the emergence of the smartphone in 2006, experts saw an upsurge in food issues. Before this, people did not take pictures of each other every day. In recent years, as social networks, filters and ideas of the "perfect body" have emerged — men must be muscular, and women must be thin and tanned. All this leads to general dissatisfaction related to physical appearance.
The fault of digital filters
However, experts believe that this is the tip of the iceberg. Often, the problem is rooted in self-confidence or lack thereof.
There is not only the relationship to food and its relationship to the body but also the perception of oneself through aesthetic filters. Seeing yourself through filters on social networks leads to dimorphism — no longer recognising your true image when you see yourself in real life. It is a problem related to oneself, to one's body and appearance. There is a gap between fantasy and reality.
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It depends on the personality, but there is a share of responsibility of the networks and the media. Before the summer, the media is usually flooded with information and promotions for summer diets. These typically include photos of muscular men and thin women in bikinis.
Experts advise us to work on our self-confidence, both physically and mentally, to escape food anxiety. They recommend trying to detach ourselves from this pre-summer routine attached to the months of May, June and July, and take care of our bodies all year round. We have to appreciate our bodies throughout the year and have a benevolent view of our bodies when we look at ourselves in a mirror.
If you suffer from food anxiety, and problems persist, experts advise consulting a health professional.
