Diet Coke's Social Media Resurgence Is Another Sign of the Latest "Thin Is In" Wave

Liz Coulbourn

In this op-ed, Ashliene McMenamy explores how the social media resurgence of Diet Coke is inherently tied to diet culture and "thinspiration."

“Propped a 12 pack of diet coke on my hip,” says the text hovering over a brunette walking down the sidewalk in a white baby doll dress and moto boots. “Suddenly feeling very maternal…but I finally met my baby…and a baby might be mine….” Edited to Charli XCX’s “I think about it all the time,” it’s a funny TikTok, one that perfectly encapsulates the vibe shift we have experienced over the last few years: Clean Girl is out, brat summer is in, and everyone is drinking Diet Coke.

Trends are cyclical, and food (and drinks!) are no exception. Search “Diet Coke”on TikTok and you’ll discover the joy of Diet Coke breaks and Diet Coke taste tests. But the hashtag also brings up other videos: America’s Next Top model contestants with impossibly tiny waists; edits of Madison Montgomery from American Horror Story: Coven with the text, “I refuse to drink my calories”; and more recently, a video of a fridge, empty except for a single Dr. Jart face mask, a bottle of 818 Tequila, Wegovy, and multiple cans of Diet Coke, captioned, “Is the fridge giving brat girl summer?”

Diet Coke’s viral presence comes at the same time as the popularity of high fashion accounts, #WhatIEatinADay videos, and the resurgence of 2010s aesthetics like pale grunge and indie sleaze — all trends that are and were inherently tied to thinness. As we revive these trends in the new Ozempic era, social media indicates that thinspiration is on the rise, and Diet Coke seems to be intertwined.

When it was introduced in 1982, Diet Coke was positioned as the “heir” to the Coca-Cola throne. It wasn’t just the low-cal alternative to Coke, the new drink was, advertising executives wanted consumers to believe, a whole separate product that was fully new to the market. Their positioning worked: Diet Coke quickly became the top diet soft drink, and was named the brand of the decade at the end of the ‘80s. In culture, Diet Coke became associated with power, glamor, and indulgence. Eventually, it would also become a fixture in the fashion industry; Karl Lagerfeld, whose complicated legacy as a designer is tainted with fatphobic and misogynistic opinions, drank up to 10 cans a day.

But by 2016, the thirst for diet sodas was nearly “extinct” according to a Business Insider article pointing to a massive decline in sales numbers. Two years later, The New Yorker dubbed Diet Coke the “elixir of soft-bodied plutocrats” like former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. In retrospect, the use of the phrase “soft-bodied” is interesting, as this was the height of the body positivity movement. But, this movement wasn’t without its flaws; thin wasn’t exactly in, but it wasn’t out. Instead, we saw the entrance of “wellness,” which preached diet culture by a different name. Rather than diet soda, aerobics, and low fat food, we saw a rebrand to matcha lattes, 6AM Pilates, eating “clean,” and being “mindful.” Diet sodas and their association with artificial sweeteners, increased risks of health issues, and morally corrupt men in power obviously didn’t fit into that image.

I was modeling on and off during this time and I remember my agencies not telling me to explicitly lose weight, but to “work on my measurements.” One agent suggested I try intermittent fasting, daily green juices, and steamed vegetables for dinner. I would go online for inspiration on how to pose, what to wear for castings, and what to eat and drink. Whether I was conscious of it or not, I was seeking out a form of thinspiration — content that idealized and promoted thinness, often to the extreme. According to a 2022 study in the The Cornell Undergraduate Research Journal, both “thinspiration” and “fitspiration” posts have the ability to “induce negative body image disorder habits” like disordered eating and poor body image.

When I quit modeling in 2022, the body positivity era was waning and the aesthetics of the ‘90s and 2000s had returned: low rise jeans, midriff baring tops, and of all trends, Diet Coke. Kate Moss, the model we most associate with thinness in the early aughts, even became the brand’s creative director in 2022. This trend hasn’t necessarily been reflected in Diet Coke’s market shares, but on social media, the drink is gaining cache — perhaps a bellwether of what’s to come. Like cigarettes, in the hands of a Cool Girl model or content creator, Diet Coke is no longer an unhealthy drink associated with gross men. Instead, it’s the marker of a girl in the know, one who’s messy and hot and, of course, thin.

The return of Diet Coke as an accessory seems to be bringing us squarely back to when thinness was inherently tied to what we found fashionable and beautiful. Drinking Diet Coke won’t make you thin, and obviously not all Diet Coke drinkers are thin, but the rise in social media cache of this particular beverage is yet another reminder that we’re returning to an era when thinness was a hallmark of beauty, and Diet Coke was a staple in the community that defined what beauty is. That beauty ideal never really went away, but it waned; with its full-fledged return comes the seemingly increasing popularity of diet products — whether that be Diet Coke, diet food, or even diet medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.

Tastes evolve, and food trends, like fashion trends, shift constantly. Here’s to hoping we finally see an end to thinness as the ideal, and that one day, we can enjoy something like a Diet Coke without evoking any of the harmful behaviors or ideas of the past. Bring on pebbled ice and lemon wedges.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue