Anything But Edible
Cinnamon roll delight. Vanilla sugar cookie. Strawberry shortcake.
All of these heavenly goods sound mouth-wateringly enticing as they lure in consumers, singing songs as sweet as their names. Women gather eagerly to pluck them off the shelves and take them home, shelling out cash in exchange for their senses being enticed, whether that be their sense of sight or smell or…
Anything but taste, really.
While such sugary names may be deceiving, a majority of goods marketed towards women with these types of titles are not edible. Vanilla candles beckon from the windows of Bath & Body Works, chocolate body washes from Lush wait patiently to be bought and placed at the edge of a bathtub, plush candy-shaped pillows wait to be taken home from TJ Maxx. It seems that in the product marketing world, there is a way for women to participate in all the joys of sugar except eating it. Smell it, feel it, see it, become it. Just. Don’t. Eat. It.
Although it’s a strange phenomenon, this isn’t a surprise in the current resurgence of diet culture. Many videos have been circulating of actresses becoming skinnier, social media users explaining why “thin is in”, and brands starting to turn away models of varying body types.
There has been a lot of thinly veiled diet culture perpetuated by “fitness” and “lifestyle” influencers being pumped out to women during this year's holiday season. Usually coming in the form of small reminders to not let the temptation of holiday sweets get us off track, to put down the gingerbread and pick up the weights. Rules such as “the three bite rule” (a rule stating that all you need is three bites of any food you desire, such as three bites of cake, to satisfy you) are reminiscent of the Ariana Grande doughnut licking scandal circa 2015 or the viral video of Kourtney Kardashian smelling a doughnut rather than eating it, hoping to curb her craving. The general unspoken agreement seems to be this. Indulge in dessert in whatever way will result in the fewest calories consumed. Buy those cookie-dough candles! Wear that cotton candy perfume! You can’t eat it, but, to quote Kourtney, “how exciting it is to smell it!”
This bizarre world we live in has encouraged our women to turn themselves into indulgent, sweet-smelling desserts without letting them enjoy tasting any desserts of their own, and it is MISERABLE. I adore smelling like sugar. I love my room smelling like a candy store, but synthetic smells and chemicals can only carry you so far! Eating dessert is a reverent practice in a world so bitter, and no one should feel ashamed for doing so.
After all, every homemade cookie, every late-night doughnut, every birthday cake isn’t only about calories. It’s memories. It's a sense of warmth that holds us and makes us feel sweet inside in a way that a body scrub never could. It's exciting to smell these sweets for sure, but this holiday season, tune out the diet culture crap, because it's even more exciting to taste them!
Strike Out,
Alara Ataman
Boca Raton
Alara Ataman is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine. An avid fan of fashion, this Pisces can be found scrolling through Depop or elbows deep in a thrift store looking for the perfect piece. If you can’t find her doing this, you may find her browsing numerous cafes in her endless quest for the perfect iced coffee. You can reach her at @leopard_fawn on most social media platforms.
Cover Image Courtesy: Purewow / Bath and Body Works
