New Study Claims Memes Could Be Making You Fat, And The Internet Can’t Digest It!

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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