Hot Girls Have IBS

According to TikTok, all hot girls have stomach issues. Ironically, this fun and lighthearted notion may actually have some real weight behind it. It seems conventionally attractive people — those assigned female at birth (AFAB) in particular — share a common struggle with gastrointestinal issues. This includes IBS, Crohn’s disease, celiac, dyspepsia or other disorders that cause significant gastrointestinal discomfort. Although these issues are not new, their increased diagnosis is indicating a potential increase in their prevalence and/or awareness. But why now and why among millennials and Gen Z in particular?

Research points to a variety of factors contributing to this apparent shift in prevalence of not only gastrointestinal issues, but also other health conditions. Most predominantly, research cites one contemporary factor unique to millennials and Gen Z: the rise of the internet and more specifically, access to technology. Millennials matured at the turn of the century when the internet was just gaining prominence while Gen Z has been coined “digital natives,” from Pew Research Center, because internet technology has been largely ubiquitous for most of their lives.
On a more personal note, I’ve had stomach issues my whole life. My food sensitivities heightened in middle school when I started becoming paralyzed with pain completely out-of-the-blue. My stomach pain was mostly propagated by stress, but I also had an extreme lactose intolerance. I had an array of tests done and blood work eventually ruled out every severe condition. I was grateful for this discovery, but I was also equally annoyed that I didn’t receive a concrete diagnosis from the doctor. The umbrella term “IBS” was bestowed upon me. Initially, I had absolutely no idea what this meant nor how to treat my condition. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), I quickly learned, is a chronic digestive disorder that affects the large intestine. And boy, was it affecting my large intestine.

Stress greatly impacts gut health. According to the American Psychological Association, stress affects the nervous system and uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms may be due to nerves in the gut being more sensitive. Certain environmental factors have contributed to a trend of chronic collective stress among Gen Z individuals in particular, such as heightened concern about student debt, gun violence in schools and sexual harassment as well as societal phenomena such as growing up amid political turmoil and the aftermath of 9/11. These issues circulate in a social media echo chamber, and the inability to directly impact them induces stress, anxiety and depression within Gen Z. 

Of course, stressors and gastrointestinal issues can affect anyone at any age but unfortunately “hot girls with stomach issues” denotes a key trend that particularly affects women. I talked to my good friends Hanna Engelhardt and The Edge Lifestyle Editor Sarah Hennis about their experiences dealing with Crohn’s disease. Both Engelhardt and Hennis slowly fell into a continuous spiral of illness during their high school and early college years and reflected on their digestive health journey. 

“Crohn’s usually presents genetically, but I don’t know of anyone in my family who has Crohn’s.  I know deep down that my condition was caused by stressful events that occurred in my life. It was a scary time when I got diagnosed,” Engelhardt said.