When we landed into 2026, we certainly didn’t expect to see the 2006 trends all around us. As a millennial in her early 30s, I find the re-emerging trends deeply disturbing. If you were a teenager in the early 2000s then you remember how horrible and cruel the trends were back then. America’s Next Top Model drama, ruthlessness, fashion trends. And I remember how supermodels used to eat cotton or a napkin in order to feel full and not faint. And to remain skinny of course. Something everyone certainly remembers is the most famous line Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.

If you are paying attention, you will notice the subtle signs of the skinny trend comeback. Girls who are recovering from eating disorders such as anorexia are sounding the alarm for days now. And let me tell you why. If you search any celebrity, you will see it. Changed, super skinny faces, ribcages showing, bones protruding, starved looks on their faces. So, naturally women and girls started sounding the alarm because what the hell is happening? Until yesterday everyone was on plus size trend, curves were glorified, now we need to starve ourselves out because someone is setting a deeply disturbing and unhealthy trend. It’s not as naive as people think it is.

Every public figure no matter what kind of work they do, are responsible for this. I may not have a celebrity role model, but many young girls do look up to celebrities. One lady mentioned how her 7-year-old daughter doesn’t want to eat because she wants to look like Ariana Grande. This is deeply disturbing. Whatever you, as a celebrity want to do with your life, it’s your choice but keep it to yourself. You cannot be on the tour, showing off your frail body, calling out concerned fans, mothers and women in general, gaslight us and just think that you have no responsibility in it at all. Wrong! As an artist, each and every one of them needs to be held responsible because of the job they chose to do. You are not just a singer, whether you like it or not, you are a trendsetter, there is someone who looks up to you, someone who thinks they should be like you. So, if you set an unhealthy example, what do you think the consequence will be like?

We simply cannot nod and digest whatever is being served to us. Eating disorders are dangerous, unhealthy and can have lethal consequences. Seeing ribcages, bones, sunken cheeks and eyes is not a trend, and it never will be. Of course, that being overweight is not good or healthy either, that in itself is an ED as well. We are talking about health here. Food is not the enemy, dangerous trends are. I grew up in an era of the thigh gap; we spent ages looking down our thighs worrying if we are skinny enough to have a thigh gap. I’m in my early 30s; I still look at my thighs. I still dissect my body every day. I judge it because my muscles are not showing enough, I have cellulite, I have stretch marks, I have a slight layer of fat, but I never ever thank my body for carrying me through so much stress, so many different therapies, medication, sleep disruption, sleepless nights. Today I read that dementia patients can’t remember their family members, but they do remember dieting, restricting themselves. Can you imagine how deep this is? It’s not something easily dismissed.

I think all of us are in some sort of eating disorder programme. People obsessed with protein, gym, calorie math, people obsessed with lifting weights. This is all concerning. We are all way too deep into this problem. We never had so many people obsessed with physical health and so little with their own minds. Now we have sculpted bodies and empty minds.

I think the key is in balance. Eat properly, eat fruits, veggies, salads, meat, sweets. Throw in some junk food once every few months. Move your body in any way that feels good to you. And most importantly, pay attention to what your mind consumes. We were never meant to be slaves to food, body image or trends. We were meant to create, spend time in nature, with animals and loved ones. Eat nutritious, delicious food. Not break our heads over lifting weights and doing the food math. And certainly not to follow the unhealthy trends.