While lounging on the sofa and mindlessly scrolling
through social media, a fitness influencer pops up,
advertising an amazing overnight oats recipe in a “What
I Eat in a Day” vlog. It’s easy to prepare and packed with
protein, superfoods, and nutrients. Intrigued, you click
on the link, but the price is $70 for just one week’s of
supply. However, you want to try it out after hearing the
influencer rave, so you buy it. To your dismay, when
it arrives two weeks later, the ingredients are in poor
condition, and they create something that looks more
like a slop compared to the oats that were advertised.

Social media creates an ideal world, but it will always
be behind a screen, just beyond one’s reach. But, over
and over again, people fall for it — they are blinded by
the idea of easy self-improvement and almost expect to
shed a few pounds after eating healthy or exercising for
one day. This can be especially powerful considering
the omniscience of social media, whether it be in the
form of “What I Eat in a Day” vlogs, morning routines,
supplement hauls, or other baits for engagement.

Viewers are often encouraged to try these products for
themselves at the risk of their health for the creator’s
monetary benefit, which is clearly an unfair trade.
Thus, it becomes critical to be able to differentiate
between myths and realities. As a soccer player and
weightlifter, Raphael Borentain ’27 has been exposed to
dozens of these types of advertisements. It is essential
for Borentain to keep his body in good shape, so he has
to be able to see through these types of ads.

“A lot of [fitness influencers] act like they got ripped
in like two weeks or from drinking one shake a day. But
they probably take other stuff or have been working out
for years. It’s all for views, honestly,” said Borentain. “I
think they mess with people’s heads a bit. Some guys will
start eating super clean or doing crazy diets just ‘cause
some fitness dude on TikTok said it worked.”

Instead, Borentain advocates for a more accountable
system where these influencers take responsibility for
the products they choose to endorse. For example,
influencers should carefully review products before they
advertise them, ensuring that they perform as marketed.

“People look up to them and copy everything they
do, so if they’re lying or pushing random products just
for money, that’s messed up, especially when it’s about
health,” said Borentain.

Advertisements are an inevitable part of social media
and can be difficult to resist the attraction of popular
trends. However, the consequences of these often
misinformative ads can be drastic. For instance, Brian
Johnson, known as the Liver King, promoted eating raw
organ meats and consuming expensive supplements by
claiming his physique was entirely done by doing so.
Consequently, teenagers attempted to mimic Johnson’s
success through following the regimens and diet that
he had advertised in his videos, which often included
expensive ingredients. However, Johnson was later
found using anabolic steroids but not before hundreds
of his teenage followers had wasted money on the
supplements, chasing the hope to attain Johnson’s figure.

These occurrences are not uncommon. Though some
influencers may offer scientifically-backed insight that
proves to be helpful, people need to be vigilant about
what they consume and their general well-being. This is
the dilemma that modern teenagers face: who or what
can we turn to for reliable advice?

Thankfully, the internet’s speed is not only one of its
biggest flaws, but it is also arguably its greatest strength.
A quick search can yield professional advice or actual u
reviews about a certain product. Even better, a plethora
of sites offer similar services such as TrustPilot, the
Environmental Working Group’s Food Scores, or even
Amazon’s review sections.

Whatever the case may be, wellness and diet content
on social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but
that doesn’t mean it should be consumed mindlessly.
While some creators are genuine with their goal of
helping people by promoting healthy lifestyles, others
spread unrealistic and even at times harmful messages
for clout. This is especially damaging for teens as they are
still developing their identity, leading to less confidence
in themselves for not being able to live up to the false
narrative that some influencers create.

Before deciding to buy a new product or start a new
routine based on a viral video, take a moment to think
about the promoter’s credibility. Doing research is the
best way for protection from an online world that favors
aesthetics over authenticity and process

Photo: Katherine Chen
From closest to farthest away: Mathilde Pouliot ’27, Kimberly Sarmiento ’27, and Evelyn Salle ’27 watch “What I Eat in a Day” videos to pass time during
Learning Lab

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