When marketing breaks us: The legacy of diet culture
We've been taught that feeling inadequate is the price of self-improvement. It isn't.
The other day, one of my clients, let's call her Hannah, went for a massage. She wanted what most of us want from a massage: to feel relaxed, soothed, and ready for a calmer day.
But at the end of her session, instead of leaving her floating on a cloud of lavender oil, the massage therapist leaned in and started pointing out signs of ageing on Hannah's face. Wrinkles here. Skin texture there. A list of things "wrong" with her.
Why?
Not because Hannah had asked for advice on her skin (she hadn't even gone for a facial, the therapist hadn't touched her face at all!!!). But because the therapist wanted to sell her £200 worth of products and treatments.
Hannah left, not feeling cared for, but deflated. Her confidence chipped away, feeling like her experience was totally ruined. And all because marketing told that therapist that the best way to make a sale was to convince someone they were broken.
And that's the thing: so much of what we're told is "care" or "wellness" is really just marketing in disguise. Entire industries profit from making us feel insecure.
Diet culture didn't come from nowhere
The wellness industry didn't invent this trick, it's just the latest chapter in a long history of marketing feeding on women's insecurities.
From the 1920s "flapper culture" that glamorised an androgynous, ultra-slim figure (with cigarette companies literally marketing smoking as an appetite suppressant), through to the post-war era when slimming became a moral duty, women have been told for over a century to shrink themselves. By the 1950s, slimming clubs, miracle products, and glossy magazines all pushed the same message: if you weren't whittling yourself down, you weren't doing life "right."
And here's the worst part: those messages didn't just shape waistlines, they shaped our self-worth.
The cost of all this marketing
Fast-forward to today, and I see the legacy of that messaging in so many of the people I work with.
They come to me with broken relationships to food. So many women I work with have guilt around eating, fear of carbs, confusion about what "healthy" even means. They've been conditioned to think that eating less is always better, that discipline is the only measure of success, and that their bodies can't be trusted.
That's why, when I start teaching people about what eating nutritiously actually looks like; colourful plates, fibre, protein, foods that give you energy instead of stealing it they're often shocked.
I'll never forget one client who told me with pure joy:
"I had two poos yesterday!"
If you've battled constipation throughout your life because you've been stuck in cycles of dieting, fibre restriction, or low-calorie quick fixes, you'll understand just how joyful that really is.
Another client messaged me after three weeks: "I'm not crashing at 3pm anymore. I didn't realise how exhausted I'd been for years." She'd spent a decade skipping breakfast and surviving on black coffee, convinced that eating less was the answer.
Change might finally be coming
Even big brands are starting to catch on. Slimming World recently announced that from 2026, they'll be shifting their approach away from food guilt and obsessive tracking toward a more balanced, sustainable model of eating. They're a massive, trusted organisation, and if they can step away from shame-based marketing, that's a step in the right direction.
It's a reminder that maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning.
But systemic change moves slowly. The good news? We don't have to wait for the big brands to give us permission. We can start choosing to step away from the messaging, the pressure, and the "fix yourself" culture right now.
What to do instead
If you've felt the weight of marketing telling you you're not enough, here are a few ways to push back:
→ Spot the shame tactics. If a product or programme makes you feel guilty, panicked, or "less than" without it, that's not care, that's marketing.
→ Rebuild trust with your body. Notice how you feel after eating different foods; energy, focus, digestion instead of just calories or "good/bad" labels. Try eating a balanced breakfast with protein and fibre, then notice whether you're still hungry by 11am or if you feel steady and focused.
→ Measure what matters. Health is not just a number on the scale. Better sleep, steady energy, regular digestion, and feeling stronger are all signs of genuine progress. Can you walk up the stairs without getting winded? Do you wake up feeling rested? That's data worth tracking.
→ Nourish, don't punish. Think of food as fuel and support for your life, not something you "earn" or "atone for." Ask yourself: "Will this meal help me do what I want to do today?" rather than "Am I allowed to eat this?"
Ready to break free?
I work with women, especially those in midlife and navigating menopause to rebuild their relationship with food and their bodies. Together, we create a way of eating that gives you energy, strength, and confidence without guilt, fads, or the constant feeling that you're failing.
If you're tired of marketing telling you you're deficient, and you want support to feel strong and nourished again, let's talk.
→ Book a free consultation with me here
Because real wellness isn't about shrinking yourself — it's about living fully in the body you already have.
