Ultra-low-rise jeans on, green juice in hand and a grappling sense of deja vu. It's 2025 and the resurgence of early 2000s diet culture is undeniable.
Need proof? South Park produced an episode on Ozempic's popularity, critiquing the way Hollywood elites have turned a diabetic drug into a weight-loss supplement. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian boasted about losing 16 pounds to fit into a Marilyn Monroe dress, while comedian Nikki Glaser joked the Golden Globes was "Ozempic's biggest night."
If the early 2000s had eating-disorder-promoting Tumblr pages, the 2020s have "What I eat in a day" Reels featuring three almonds and a green juice.
The early 2000s were defined by the pursuit of an unrealistic body standard, reinforced by tabloid culture and a billion-dollar diet industry. Fad diets like Atkin's, calorie restriction and meal replacement shakes were marketed as necessary tools for achieving the "perfect body."
"The culture of wanting that figure is definitely circling back," said Lillian Flottmann, a freshman studying fashion design. "It's always cyclical. And from what I've seen, a lot of it is getting back to (what) people are calling 'coke skinny.'"
Social media algorithms may be the prime enablers of this diet culture return, with extreme weight loss rebranded under wellness hashtags. TikTok and Instagram feeds hosting daily reset plans and meal replacements marketed as gut health or juice cleanses reinforce the same dangerous ideologies of the past.
"I feel like we hit a period of a lot of advertisements and body inclusivity and all that. But you see it slipping back in different forms, whether it's in your social media, or again, like the celebrities," said Lily Willette, a freshman studying clinical exercise science.
As GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic rise in popularity, the narrative that thinness equals health continues. Ozempic, originally a drug used to treat diabetes, has allegedly been used by celebrities to lose mass amounts of weight and the generic version is now marketed toward the public as a quick weight-loss solution in glamorized social media advertisements.
"I grew up in Germany, so we don't really advertise medicine in that way. So coming to America and seeing all the commercials, again, was shocking because you hear about Ozempic but (I've) never really seen it before," said Loren Martin, a group wellness instructor at ASU SDFC and a freshman studying mass communication.
Nothing ever comes back into fashion in its original form, so this 2000s diet culture has now been rebranded as "wellness." Calorie restrictions are marketed as intermittent fasting. Over-exercising is disguised as dedication and "fit-girl-eras." Even weight-loss products are repackaged as "metabolism boosters."
Willette said what sounds or may feel good initially may not always be best, noting how once you start these unhealthy diets and exercises, it may be hard to stop.
Habits being aesthetically renamed, like 'Pilates Princess,' may contribute to over-exercising becoming a lifestyle. Aspirational habits associated with being 'That Girl', may make genuine self-care feel like not enough.
"I am not that girl. I do try to take care of myself. I am not waking up at 5 a.m. I'm not going to go do a full cardio workout every day. I don't have time for that," Flottmann said. "It's hard to feel like I'm doing it right, especially since it's packaged as health. It makes me feel like I'm not taking care of myself, when, in reality, I'm a fairly healthy person."
Critics argue that the same harmful diet culture of the 2000s is back, just disguised under the identity of wellness. Consumers feel the only step forward is to donate their velour tracksuits and demand a body culture that prioritizes health over aesthetics.
Fashion cycles continue to reappear, as industry watchers predict that in another decade, this era could be viewed the same way consumers cringe at TMZ culture and Victoria's Secret diets. By 2025, some speculate that there will be a swap from 'Pilates Princess' to 'Powerlifting Princess' as mentalities around fitness change. Meanwhile, concerns persist over the resurgence of metabolism boosters and extreme cleanses, with some questioning their long-term health effects, like impromptu bathroom emergencies.
History suggests that trends — even toxic ones — always find a way to come back around. Participants can hope the next cycle brings back balanced diets rather than juice cleanses.
Editor’s note: The National Eating Disorders Association in the U.S. can be reached by phone at 1-800-931-2237 or online via chat.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Sophia Ramirez and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at thutche1@asu.edu.
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Tiffany is a freshman studying fashion design in business administration. This is her second semester with The State Press.
