You do it, your friends do it, and the lucky ones get
paid for it. Why is everyone snapping pictures of their dinner plates and
posting it on social media? “Are they actually eating that?” “They eat so
healthy…” (or vice versa), “I should eat like them.” These thoughts, or
judgements, have exploded within platforms such as Instagram or Snapchat and
there may be some reasoning behind it.
First and foremost, there are the professionals. “Foodies”
or Influencers on the gram “often get invited and sometimes paid by
restaurants, bars and food and liquor brands to eat (complimentary) juicy burgers
or drink crisp cucumber gimlets, and share them to their massive followings,”
says Bon Appétit. Restaurants then ravish in the publicity leading to
hopes of a featured Buzzfeed story and hour-long lines with a special news
segment. These raw pictures lead to a more honest approach to the restaurant
fare and atmosphere, over a very static and non-visual website. And it’s the type of food people crave to see on
other’s feeds. It’s the “food porn,” trendy, and artfully created pictures
people crave. The truth is, influencers call this “bait” food; an enticing way
to capture followers. Influencer, Gebel of @NoLeftovers says she only “sprinkles
her feed with shots of healthier fare, like frozen yogurt or grain bowls.” And
to add to the matter, restaurants are starting to cater to the media; décor,
lighting and wall art become especially important for picture perfect shots.
{ “I’ll take the special entrée, especially
garnished, with a side of chic silverware and dimmed lighting for effect
please.” }
On the other hand, there are the amateurs. The non-verified
with a blue check mark, amateurs, like us, who post our great meals for the
pleasure of it. To maybe show off our cooking talents or expose the latest
restaurant in town that took a reservation made too far in advance to get into.
It is us, common folk, who are trying to keep up with the hype. Feeding our feeds for what purpose
exactly? Psychologically, we often want to project the best versions of
ourselves, and social media is our outlet. A writer for the Daily Mail, Laura
Freeman, found herself starting to cook her meals with a little more frill to
gain more “likes.” As she reports, “This is not how I eat most of time. For
every beetroot, feta and za’atar dip I make, there are ten meals of
something-with-pasta…I have yet to find how to make sardines on toast look
pretty.” This is the concern. As Freeman perfectly states, “It is not enough
that we should feel anxious about what we eat, now there is the disappointment
of our insufficiently camera-ready meals…”
Take a moment to
reread the first part of her quote, “…anxious about what we eat.”
 |
| {Homemade} |
 |
| {Not Homemade} |
Here is the dilemma. In a world that is focused on
the portrayal of what we are eating, is the person taking the picture actually consuming that? Or is that
picture perfectly placed for one to assume
they are? From an amateur stand point, this could be heavily affecting the
individuals that already have an altered perception of food. This could be a
new way to hide from the truth of their eating disorder, non-intuitive eating
pattern or guilt induced meal consumption. Of course, this isn’t the case for
everyone. However, it sure puts a new light into the latest craze. Some reports
show food pictures can help people eat healthier or, in fact, may help teens
battle their eating disorder. An MSN interview found that for people on a diet,
social media works as a form of a food diary, such as LoseIt or MyFitnessPal.
It kept people honest and offered encouragement from followers to continue to
choose healthy choices. In a conjunction piece between Buzzfeed and Spoon
University, food Instagrams were used in a way to put a positive affect on food
obsession in teenagers through community and promoting creativity. Essentially,
no matter the effect on you personally, this food snap trend has an affect
GLOBALLY!
Registered Dietitian’s take on the trend has positive and
negative inspiration. Dietitian, Eliza Savage, at Middleberg Nutrition in NYC
says, Instagram may influence one’s eating habits by “hurting what may seem healthy on screen, but not
individually the best choice.” Certain examples like extreme diets or detoxes (face palm),
an absurd amount of “healthy” fats and oversize smoothie bowls all prove
this. Curious about the specifics? Click the link
to read Shape’s article from Jan. 2018. In contrast, the UPSIDE dietitians find,
is that healthy food obsession can be good along with the intuitive eating
trend. Satiety cues are important and should be used during all meal or snack
times as they say. Health in every size (#HAES) is another positive promotion
used when collaborated with food posted pictures. Even the food experts are involved here!
{ For further
resources, find a Registered Dietitian near you. Look for the credentials &
get the facts. }
Moral of the story, you do you on social media and let
research run its course to find a definitive answer to the food picture taking
trend. Be aware of your reasoning for your next food post and own it! Until
then…“Omg let’s
take a #FoodPic!”
https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/rise-of-influencers-ruining-everything
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3237621/What-sort-madwoman-spends-hours-taking-pics-food-weird-posting-food-photos-Instagram-obsession.html
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/foodanddrink/foodnews/instagramming-your-food-could-help-you-eat-healthier/ar-BBALhpb
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/instagramming-food-help-teens-battle-eating-disorders
https://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/instagram-food-trends-ruining-diet
No comments:
Post a Comment