Medicosnext
Ojaswee Karki
She is an MBBS student at Kathmandu Medical College. She is an alumna of St. Mary’s School and St. Xavier’s College. She is an academically exemplary student, a fearless speaker and a passionate writer. She has been involved in various research projects ever since she joined her Medschool. She is an active member in various organizations like Nepal Youth Movement, Junior Doctor’s Committee, Alliance Against Antimicrobial Resistance, Nepal Medical Students’ Society, ASMAN, etc. She is an art enthusiast, a lover of music and a keen language learner who believes in spreading happiness, kindness and warmth through her works. She voices the unheard, the untouched and the unfortunate through her articles and artworks. She is an igniter and believes in sparking humanity in every human being. She pledges to devote her life in the service of man in the name of god and to lead for nepal.
Do you know about social media? Of course you do, it’s the place where your aunt shares conspiracy theories, your old classmate becomes a share market guru overnight, and suddenly, everyone you know is an expert on intermittent fasting. But beyond the memes and questionable advice, social media plays a huge role in how we eat and exercise. One day, it convinces us that carbs are the enemy; the next, we’re stuffing our mouth with sourdough because gut health matters. So, let’s take a deep dive into how the internet has turned us all into diet-obsessed, workout-crazed trend followers.
Let me begin with a question first. How are social media and diet connected? Well, I’ll answer it for you. I feel social media is basically a giant conveyor belt of diet trends. One moment, keto is the king, and you’re drowning in avocados and chicken and the next day, it’s all about celery juice and how it can cure your soul, spoiler: it can’t. Remember the Keto Craze where we ate all the fat, and just looking at a piece of bread meant you’re a failure. But the ultimate of dieting has always been, the not so favourite, Intermittent Fasting where we don’t get to eat for 16 hours, then pretend you enjoy eating plain almonds for dinner. But something else found its way into the diet society too, remember the Carnivore Diet? It’s alright if you’ve never heard of her, who’d even want to eat just meat everyday. Then came Juice cleansers which promised one could lose weight by drinking nothing but sadness and regret. Each of these diets came with that one influencer who swore it changed their life. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll realize they also have a sponsorship. Suspicious right!
Not just diet, Instagram and TikTok have also turned workouts into a mix of modern art and medieval torture. The 12-3-30 Treadmill Method where one is supposed to walk uphill like you’re trying to escape a bad first date. Then came in, Weighted Hula Hooping that found a way to make spinning in circles for no reason socially acceptable. “Cold plunges will boost your metabolism!” they once said, as you question every life decision that led you to sitting in a tub of ice half dead, half immobile. And let’s not forget the Gym Bros vs. Pilates Girls. While one group deadlifts an entire car, the other is sculpting abs by lying on a mat and breathing. It’s a mystery how both look equally exhausted. Pilates used to be that mysterious workout rich people did while wearing Lululemon. But now, thanks to TikTok, it’s officially the way to sculpt your dream body. And let’s be honest, the marketing is genius, you don’t have to lift heavy weights, you do get to lie down a lot and yet it somehow gives you abs without making you sweat like a gym bro.
Let’s not forget the Rise of the “That Girl” Aesthetic. If you follow pages linked with aesthetics and spend more than five minutes on Instagram, you’ve probably encountered her. She wakes up at 5 AM, drinks matcha, does her skin care, journals, paints, cooks and does yoga in a perfectly curated beige apartment. Literally finishes a week’s work in a day. Her breakfast? A chia seed pudding that looks suspiciously like frog spawn. Meanwhile, the rest of us hit snooze three times and consider it a win if we eat something that isn’t bread toast. But social media thrives on perfection, and the pressure to match this impossible aesthetic can be exhausting. It turns wellness into a performance. Because if you drink a green smoothie but don’t post it on your story, did it even happen?
But why do we keep falling for it? And why do we keep chasing these trends? FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) I suppose. No one wants to be the last person on Earth not putting butter in their coffee (yes, that was a thing lately). Plus, influencers make it look so easy. They have flawless skin, perfect abs, and endless energy. What they don’t show? The expensive personal trainers, meal prep services, and the fact that they took 50 photos to get that one “effortless” workout selfie.
Social Media is a circus, and we’re all clowns. Social media trends are a mixture of inspiration, misinformation, and a touch of madness. Some trends are good, while others are just expensive ways to suffer. So what should we as the trend followers do next? Take everything with a pinch of Himalayan pink salt because regular salt just isn’t aesthetic enough. And remember, life isn’t a competition, it isn’t a drama either where you have to perform your best always, sometimes doing things you simply love, eating foods you simply crave for, can give you boosts of happiness and a sense of satisfaction too. Afterall, it is about being happy, not about showing others how happy you are.
At the end of the scroll, we’re all just trying to feel better, look better, and maybe have a little fun while doing it. Social media can be a great place to discover new ways to move and eat—but it’s also where reality gets filtered more than your iced coffee. Trends will come and go, kale will be cool again (or not), and someone will always try to convince you that their way is the way. But here’s a thought: what if we stopped trying to live for the algorithm and started living for ourselves? Eat what feels good, move in a way that brings joy, and remember—your wellness isn’t a trend, it’s your truth.
