Instagram food photos lead to unhealthy competition

The food race has led many women to capture and share images of their preparations and post them on Instagram and other social media networks. Fahd Al-Asiri said that husbands and family members are the beneficiaries of this ongoing competition that has spread among women. Families noted that dining tables have become more stylish and full with delicious food. "Women became obsessive in this trend of taking photos of their tables and posting them on the Web," Al-Asiri said. Amina Al-Omari noted that many women purchased expensive pots in the beginning of Ramadan for presentation purposes. "Some went overboard with buying lanterns, presentation pots, and creative dishes adding more burden on their families' budgets because of a desire to show off." Nora Al-Asiri pointed out that some decorative pots cost up to SR2,000 - a high price to pay for female vanity and showoff, Kazinform cites the Arab News. Ali Zairi, a psychiatrist consultant in Al-Nakheel compound, said the appearances have become highly important in the present age where many families incur significant costs just for demonstrative purposes. "These behaviors might serve the family in terms of providing better meals and elegant settings, but the problem lies in a pathological side of this phenomenon where women attempt to engage in showoff competitions," Zairi said. He feared about the loss of privacy as women obsess about photographing food and imitating the lives of others. Khalid Jelban, family and community medical consultant at King Khalid University, said the family needs the attention of mothers as well as an economic planning. He said the obsession with appearances, competition and jealousy has led to the emergence of new behavioral patterns in Saudi Arabia "The economic losses and loans could end when there is proper planning of expenses as well as an awareness of not being misled into the world of bragging," Jelban said. "We are counting on women's well-known ability to keep the family together and rationalize expenses." This can't be achieved, however, without shifting the focus from negative appearances toward providing the family with healthy and balanced meals, according to Jelban.