The Unrepentant Return of Christian Diet Culture

 

“Less Prozac, more protein.” That quote, uttered by the wellness influencer Alex Clark, jumped out at me from coverage of the Young Women’s Leadership Summit, a gathering of around 3,000 hosted by Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization focused on the next generation.

Clark went on to discuss the melding of diet, exercise, religion and politics that, as she sees it, defines the conservative brand for 20- and 30-something women. “The girls who lift weights, eat clean, have their hormones balanced, have their lives together” are right wing, the “cool kids” and “mainstream.” By contrast, liberals are “TikTok activists with five shades of autism, panic attacks and a ring light.”