„Almond Moms“ are mothers who extremely control their children’s food or calorie intake and urge them to diet. They give toxic diet tips and meticulously monitor their children’s eating behavior. The term describes a type of mother that has been around for a long time. Only the term „Almond Moms“ is a neologism.
What are Almond Moms? Meaning, definition, explanation
The term „Almond Mom“ is based on a video circulating on the Internet: On it, the mother of model Gigi Hadid tells her daughter, who is sick with hunger, to chew almonds thoroughly. This, she says, drives away the feeling of hunger. With this recommendation, the mother puts her daughter’s health behind the beauty ideal of „being thin“, which is declared to be absolute. Instead of protecting her, she accepts health restrictions for her daughter in favor of aesthetics.
The video dates back to 2013, but is still cited because it remains highly relevant. Girls today still live in an environment that permanently confronts them with beauty ideals that are detrimental to their health and puts them under a lot of pressure. Dieting is extremely important in the toxic mindset of „Almond Moms“ and is present 24/7. The harmful diet culture is mainly propagated by mothers and passed on to their daughters under great pressure. They can definitely be described as women obsessed with dieting.
#Almondmoms denounces assaultive behavior
Meanwhile, a counter-movement exists under the hashtag #almondmoms on TikTok, in which girls and young women ironically criticize the toxic behavior of their mothers. The hashtag has been accessed 190 million times (as of mid-February 2023). They are working through the abusive behavior of their mothers and want to finally break the silence on the immense psychological pressure they grew up under.
The term „Almond Mom“ describes not so much an individual person as a societal problem. These mothers propagate a body image that is long outdated, dating back to the time of supermodels, i.e. the 2000s. These women, who were socialized in the 1990s, often only achieved their dream weight with the help of amphetamines and diet pills. They also outwardly represented their unhealthy lifestyle with conviction, often drinking only one glass of water a day (example Kate Moss).
Although the trend of body positivity has been established since the 2020s, this outdated behavior pattern is still very common. Even though girls and young women today believe that a big step has been made towards a healthier body image, the media and our environment constantly confront us with weight recommendations and harmful diets. The behavior pattern has burned itself so strongly into the minds of many women that it is very difficult to eliminate.
Diet mania „Almond Mom“ – serious consequences for the psyche.
„Almond Mom behavior“ affects not only the physical health of daughters, but also their mental health. The earlier the education to a diet culture begins, the greater the likelihood that affected girls will develop an eating disorder.
In their eating behavior, they will compete strongly and in unhealthy ways with others in the future. They lose the feeling for their body, from which serious health restrictions develop – from disturbed body image to malnutrition and organ damage. Change can only be brought about by creating a new awareness. This is what young affected women do very successfully on TikTok and other video platforms. The fact that they reach very high follower numbers in a very short time shows that they seem to have stirred up a hornet’s nest. Obviously, significantly more girls and women suffer from assaultive mothers than was previously assumed.
Social media is a very good means of pointing out the grievances and leaving behind the thought patterns of an outdated diet culture. In 2023, Generation Z is tentatively beginning to embrace social media as a tool for new ways of thinking, which in the best case scenario will result in behavioral changes. Since attempts to establish new ways of thinking and behavior patterns are also repeatedly thwarted by the media, it may take another one or two generations before young people no longer have to complain about „Almond Moms“ and a fundamental change has set in.