The Return of “Skinny at All Costs” And What It's Really All About

Welcome back to Unbothered. Today’s episode is kind of a continuation of the first episode this season, where I talked about decentering weight loss in the Ozempic era — but I wanted to go deeper. Let’s talk about how beauty standards, body rules, and anti-fatness have always been used as tools (or honestly, weapons) against us.

I’ve been seeing a lot on my scroll lately that sparked this conversation — the return of “skinny is in” and the rise of things like SkinnyTok. It feels like we’re right back in the 90s and early 2000s, when it was all about being thin no matter the cost. I lived through that era — magazines in the salon, before-and-after celebrity photos, the constant shaming — and it’s wild to see it being repackaged and sold to Gen Z now.

In this episode, I’m unpacking how all of this isn’t just about personal choices or preferences — it’s about control. It's about distraction. And it’s about keeping us focused on shrinking ourselves instead of expanding our power.

What I talk about in this episode:

• The return of “heroin chic” and how beauty standards are always shifting — because they’re made up
• Why the cultural obsession with thinness is a weapon, not just a trend
• How shame is used to keep us small — literally and mentally
• My own past with dieting, overexercising, and the false promises of “miracle” weight loss solutions
• Why Ozempic and other shots aren’t the enemy, but the messaging around them is
• What fat liberation actually means and how body positivity got co-opted
• How anti-fat bias shows up in everyday life, especially in places like the doctor’s office
• A reminder that you can make personal choices without reinforcing harmful narratives
• The bigger picture — and why divesting from diet culture gives you your power back

This isn’t about shaming anyone. It’s about awareness. It’s about making choices from a place of clarity, not cultural pressure. And it’s about recognizing that this obsession with being skinny isn’t random — it’s intentional, it’s systemic, and it keeps us distracted.

We deserve to live full, rich, expansive lives in the bodies we have now. And while it’s not always easy to push back against the messages we’ve absorbed for decades, it’s powerful work. Curate your feed. Pay attention to how you talk to yourself. And remember — your body is not the problem.

Thanks for listening. If this episode resonated with you, I’d love it if you shared it with a friend or on your IG story. And if you’re ready to keep unlearning and reclaiming your energy, stay tuned — there’s more to come.

Are you ready to join the movement and become unbothered? Visit https://stan.store/theerikaz and subscribe to Unbothered and follow me on TikTok and on Facebook to stay connected. Share this episode with a friend who needs to hear this message and let’s spread the revolution together.

Thank you for listening!