What to Know
Somewhere between the late 90s or early 2000s and around 2024, there was a movement about body positivity. There were even songs about women embracing their curves and other women appreciating all body types. In many ways, it was a golden age of finally having some collective acceptance. Then, suddenly, diet culture and skinny culture and prominent bones on celebrities became normal again. And now, we have “snack tins” that some believe mean eating disorders are back in full force.
Vogue originally promoted these small Altoid-like tins with a few bites of snacks. But when a woman on TikTok shared a video with her commentary on the supposedly perfect pick me up for people during the day, she drove home the idea that these snack tins are nothing more than a way to eat far less than is even healthy for most people.
The snack tins are actually pretty dangerous.
@meredithmlynch #greenscreen I’m sorry @Vogue but this isn’t a trend #snacks ♬ original sound – Meredith Lynch
In the video, the user shares what Vogue originally shared as a snack that’s supposed to help with an “afternoon slump.” But, the user says, it’s the biggest piece of evidence so far that eating disorder culture is back.
“If you had any doubt that it’s back, look no further than Vogue trying to convince you that this is a thing,” she says. “A snack tin that has one sliver of a clementine. You can go look at the creator that they are sharing with these snack tins. I don’t wanna promote them because I know exactly what this is. And like, the girls that get it, get it. Also, just read the caption. How can we fight the afternoon slump with four and a half cashews? Y’all, this is dangerous. I know exactly what this is.”
And other people recognize this for what it appears to be too. Other TikTok users commented on the video to share what they think of this solution (if that’s what we’re even calling it) to being hungry in the afternoon, in the hours between lunch and dinner.
“‘The afternoon slump.’ Yeah you wouldn’t have that if you ate a full meal for lunch,” someone commented on the TikTok.
Another commenter joked, “This is like what I eat while I’m making the rest of the snack.”
The snack has one slice of a clementine, about five cashews, a small piece of a KitKat, and what appears to be a large date. Yum.
“As someone who ate four dried apricots and 12 almonds each afternoon before ballet class…I know *exactly* what this is,” another TikTok user shared.
The “thin” trend is reminiscent of the early 2000s.
She was already thin…now she’s emaciated and looks 15 years older 🤦🏻♀️this trend needs to end immediately https://t.co/qvflgJ3WjN
— Audrey Renée Bentley (@BentleyAudrey) April 8, 2026
Didn’t we do this already? I’m pretty sure this is the sort of rhetoric and pop culture body image that had most of us looking at our own bodies with disgust when we were all kids in the 90s and early 2000s. It was a gradual push for plus-size, or curvy bodies, to become accepted. Is that what we’re up against now? A gradual push that takes years to come back in a full circle sort of moment?
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Literally no one has time for that. We’ve been here before. Some of us came out on the other side recovering from eating disorders. It’s hard to say what exactly is to blame for the resurgence, but for many, it’s dangerous.
One person called it the “thinapocalypse.”
The whole idea of the body positivity movement that now seems ages ago was to celebrate different body types because everyone is, well, different. But now, with this not-so-new age upon us, people can’t help but notice what’s happening.
One user commented on the TikTok about the snack tins with, “It’s thinapocalypse in here! I’m feeling like my mere existence in a midsize body is a protest.”
Another added, “Where’s the cigarette and Diet Coke? Lol.” No, because that’s exactly what this so-called snack is giving, and it’s not a fun time to be a woman.
If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with disordered eating, you can always reach out to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders by calling 1-866-662-1235. Licensed therapists specialized in eating disorders are available 9:00 am – 7:00 pm EST (Monday – Friday). For free 24/7 support, reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting “988” or text “ALLIANCE” to 741-741.
