Memes are an indispensible part of our culture right now. They’re pretty much a language that the youth uses to express themselves. What’s more, even the older generations cannot help but share them if they’re completely ‘on point’ about something they feel. Considering food is like the second most important thing to us, after oxygen, food memes are probably the most relatable of the lot!
Like tell me this one didn’t crack you up and made you say “Me”!
Or this one, which mocks people on a diet and is a pretty popular joke!
Well well well. Guess the funny time with food memes ends here and gives way to some serious food for thought.
Because according to a study by a UK university, memes could be making you fat!
Say whaaaaaaa?
According to news reports, researchers from Loughborough University have claimed that memes are major proponents of harmful health-related messages, including unhealthy eating habits that may lead to obesity in teenagers.
Researchers have warned that internet #memes could be encouraging teenagers to be #fat and #lazy by normalising obesity, apathy and lethargy… https://t.co/9cu5IHnVAD – project team @Um_Taz @DrAshCasey @martinsykora @ProfTomJackson and Professor Lorraine Cale
— Loughborough Uni PR (@lborouniPR) October 19, 2018
So, basically, memes likes this one below seem to make teenagers subconsciously develop unhealthy eating habits.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpNl9xwjlCR/?tagged=foodmemes
What’s more, memes are also said to promote unhealthy body image expectations.
https://twitter.com/RottenInDenmark/status/1052963277616046085
While the whole link may sound a little too far-fetched to you right now, a quick search of #foodmemes will throw up results that might make you see some sense in the findings.
Memes carry dangerous health-related messages and make light of unhealthy eating habits. In this fight, there is no room for shame or ignorance. https://t.co/uIbsHxJIqX
— Robert Lustig MD (@RobertLustigMD) October 18, 2018
Take this one, for example, which promotes the idea that food is on a person’s mind 24/7.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpNh-eBA2WF/?tagged=foodmemes
Or this one, which is low-key suggesting that it’s okay to follow up a healthy eating choice with an unhealthy one, because it’s a reward.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpNOanzjcir/?tagged=foodmemes
https://twitter.com/clairevtran/status/1053318561312194560
The Internet seems to be in two minds about the claims that this research makes.
One the one hand, a lot of people seem to have had the epiphany that memes can have a positive and negative effect on the psyche of impressionable teenagers with regards to body image.
A sobering reminder on memes.
The article is a bit all over the place, but the closing paragraphs should be a reminder that memes can be both good and bad.
Source: https://t.co/OIZiDyGwVm pic.twitter.com/MxwhZdXMyn
— Six Hoofs Apart From (@Hollud) October 19, 2018
However, many are finding this food for thought a tad bit difficult to digest.
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1053317811920093184
https://twitter.com/letmeexplainit/status/1053033075188355072
I need academics to describe every meme
"The academics were also concerned by a meme that created a human-like body from pictures of pizzas and hamburgers, with frankfurters used for limbs and a smiley-faced potato for a face."https://t.co/5Ur8yzQVSo
— Justin Poirier (@justinpoir) October 19, 2018
Memes are often laden with black humour, sarcasm and satire, but at the heart of it, have some form of truth in them to make them relatable to people. Which further goes on to say that memes about unhealthy eating habits might stem from actual unhealthy eating practices, and therefore, might also promote such practices in teenagers who circulate them.
So what’s the verdict? Let’s just say we’re still ruminating over this particular bit of food for thought!