"It’s not just you: Diet Coke is back. If you’re seeing tons of Diet Coke content—Diet Coke breaks, taste tests, hauls—you are not alone. Given the internet’s obsession with little treat culture, caffeine, and carbonated beverages, this content is likely unsurprising; you may even scroll past without a second thought.
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But if you lived through the first wave of Diet Coke obsession back in the ’90s and early aughts, you might be wondering: Why is everyone suddenly drinking Diet Coke again? A soda that was out of Vogue is now seemingly everywhere. In fact, between the influencers who sing its praises to the models who appear in its ad campaigns, there seems to be a direct correlation between drinking Diet Coke and…um…hotness? This can’t be a coincidence.
As a professional internet culture nerd, carbonated bevvy enthusiast, and woman who is fiercely proud of her media studies degree, I had to get to the bottom of it. Allow me to take you on a two-year journey through the wave of TikTok marketing that hooked every it girl on Diet Coke…again.
Why we’re talking about Diet Coke in the first place
If you’re a member of Gen Z, your memory of Diet Coke Mania Part I might be a tad hazy. Two things: First, ’90s-era Diet Coke associated itself with weight loss. Text at the bottom of one of Diet Coke’s 1995 ads literally reads “Can help slimming or weight control only as part of a calorie controlled diet.” Second, celebrities who were deep in the diet culture of the time often walked around holding the drink. It became more than a can of soda; it was an accessory. Case in point: this retro pic of Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu at the 2003 Kid’s Choice Awards with a very visible can. Influencer marketing but make it 2000s.
Let the record show that nobody here at The Everygirl, myself included, really cares whether or not you personally are drinking Diet Coke in 2024. Your beverages of choice are none of my business. What I care about is how Diet Coke as a beverage appears to have become trapped in an intense, multi-decade trend cycle that definitely has to do with how the brand markets itself through attractive, famous women. Since Diet Coke has been synonymous with dieting since the ’90s, and since we’re seeing a rise in fatphobic comments (particularly toward women) in 2024, then Diet Coke being popular means more than Diet Coke just being popular.
How Diet Coke became cool again
Obviously, Coca-Cola in general has always been an iconic American drink, so declaring one of their beverages uncool would be ignorant of the fact that our culture perpetually foams at the mouth for the iconic font and signature red branding. With that said, Diet Coke wasn’t really on anyone’s radar in a significant way during the 2010s: The brand lost 4.2% in sales volume in the year of 2016 alone. So how did this drink become emblematic of the early 2020s? Here’s the timeline:
2022: Kate Moss becomes the Creative Director of Diet Coke. Also, Tinx loves it.
In 2022, we all emerged from the quarantine-era pandemic with a TikTok addiction. Fridge restock videos were huge and all your favorite influencers were wearing that coveted Poppi sweatsuit. Since we had all been inside for two years, we were still all about protecting our peace, deep in mindfulness and wellness culture. We weren’t thinking about Diet Coke…but Kate Moss was. In 2022, the supermodel who was the ’90s it girl—and also the unofficial face of the “heroin chic” aesthetic that pushed eating disorder culture at the time—became the Creative Director of the brand.
Whether internet hot girls were aware of this leadership change or not, the marketing started to seep into TikTok. While Tinx started ranking Diet Cokes back in 2020 (you might recall that McDonald’s is top-tier), other creators picked up her slack in 2022. Whether they were taking a Diet Coke break mid-workday or using it to cure a hangover, the beverage was starting to get some buzz again. It didn’t hurt that the Kardashians seemed to be in on it, too.
2023: I need a Diet Coke break!
2023 was when Diet Coke hit our FYPs full-throttle. It became more than a bevvy: It was a way of life, and all because of the “Diet Coke break.” The work-from-home influencers that we know and love documented their daily pause from the grind to hunt down a crispy Diet Coke. “Recipes” started to emerge, with specific instructions on how long to let your Diet Coke marinate in the fridge before pouring over pebbled ice and mixing with a True Lime packet—a @hauskris mid-day staple. Even though it wasn’t being toted around by celebs at awards shows like a literal accessory, the drink became bigger than itself.
Personally, I slurped this content up, and I still do. Let the record show that I have binged @hauskris soda videos like there’s no tomorrow and I absolutely do have a parasocial relationship with her—that’s my girl! I love that she goes on Diet Coke brand trips and has their branded merch! And I don’t even drink it myself! There’s just something about a girlie pop taking back her busy work day by getting up and treating herself to her favorite bevvy that I will always love to watch.
2024: “Thin is in” again, and so is Diet Coke.
If we were all merrily watching innocent Diet Coke breaks a year ago and now suddenly our FYPs are showing videos of Diet Coke cans next to Wegovy pens, what happened? Turns out, it’s not any TikToker’s fault that the 2024 obsession with it has taken a turn for the what-the-fuck.
When a drink becomes an accessory or a symbol, it cycles in and out of fashion like any trend: including low-rise jeans, all-night partying, and, unfortunately, specific body types. 2024 has marked the beginning of the Ozempic era, and between brat summer reviving early-2000s fashion and Gen Z’s nostalgia addiction, diet culture is undeniably back in a very weird way. As former model Ashliene McMenamy pointed out in Teen Vogue last week, it only makes sense that as diet culture gets big again, so does Diet Coke. Scroll a little deeper on the Diet Coke tag on TikTok and you’ll notice videos that are less about having a little treat and more about drinking caffeine to curb your appetite.
So, why are we so obsessed with Diet Coke?
Chances are, if you love Diet Coke a lot, you’re probably obsessed with Diet Coke because you genuinely love the taste. In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to defend your love of the beverage. You wouldn’t need to worry whether you might accidentally be endorsing diet culture by drinking your favorite drink.
But Diet Coke has a complicated history. Pretending that history doesn’t exist means that we can end up with comment sections that berate creators for simply sipping, or with videos out there that link a specific soda with intentional appetite suppression. I love nostalgia as much as any Gen Zer, but I also know that I didn’t live through the eating disorder culture of the ’90s, and for that I am lucky. Mass nostalgia for a consumer product like Diet Coke should only go as far as nostalgia for that specific product—not what it historically represented.
“Unfortunately, it seems that we are not quite unburdened by what has been—we’re still living in the carbonated context.”
It would be awesome if we could all just drink the drinks we like without being subjected to harmful diet culture rhetoric that is literally three decades old. Unfortunately, it seems that we are not quite unburdened by what has been—we’re still living in the carbonated context. If it seems ridiculous that people feel the need to explain their “why” behind drinking Diet Coke on the internet, that’s because it is! So consider this a call to take your Diet Coke break out of sheer joy and love of the beverage—but if you need to protect your peace by muting the Diet Coke tag on TikTok, I can’t blame you for that, either.
Emma Ginsberg, Associate Editor
Emma is a Chicago-based writer and editor who has been creating at The Everygirl since 2021. She writes for all sections across the site and edits the Entertainment and Community sections. With a degree in American Studies, Emma is especially passionate about evaluating the impact that pop culture and internet culture have on the day-to-day lives of real women.