Kim Kardashian-West under fire for expressing joy at being called ‘skinny’ and ‘anorexic’
'Anorexia is a serious mental health disorder that should not be mistaken for a successful diet'
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Kim Kardashian-West has come under fire for expressing joy at being called “anorexic” and “skinny” by her sisters.
In a series of videos posted to her Instagram story on Sunday, Kim, 37, is seen spending time with sisters Khloe, 34, and Kendall Jenner, 22, both of whom comment on her body shape and size.
However Kim’s delighted response to their comments has been highly criticised by body positivity activists and health experts, with many expressing concern that Kim’s posts could trigger eating disorders.
“I’m really concerned, I don’t think you’re eating,” Kendall says to Kim while smiling. “You look so skinny.”
Kim is then heard squealing with delight at the remark. “Oh my god, thank you!” she exclaims.
Kourtney then says: “I’ve never seen a human being look so - you are a walking Facetune doll.” Facetune being an app used to edit your appearance in photos.
“My purse is as tiny as you,” Kendall adds, while holding up her very small handbag.
In a later video, Kim films Khloe, saying: “OK you actually look really skinny.”
Khloe then responds: “But I’ve never seen a skinnier person in my life [than you].”
Kim goes on to say that she believes Kendall is skinnier, to which Khloe says: “Well, Kendall - but that’s natural. You, it takes work to look like that, and that’s amazing.”
In the series of videos, Kim is seen asking her sisters to “tell [her] more” about how slim she is.
“I’m not that skinny!” she replied. “I’m down to 119 pounds [8.5 stone or 54kg].”
Khloe then goes on to explain that despite her sister’s “voluptuous” curves, she thinks Kim is “anorexic” at her waist and arms.
However the Kardashian sisters have been criticised for broadcasting their conversation to their millions of followers, many of whom are young women.
“Kim Kardashian and her sisters have once again shared careless comments that reach millions of young and impressionable followers,” Rhiannon Lambert, a Harley Street nutritionist who works with many eating disorder sufferers, told The Independent.
“The use of language is appalling and implies that anorexia is something to be admired when it is incredibly dangerous resulting in more deaths than any other mental health condition. Anorexia is a serious mental health disorder that should not be mistaken for a successful diet.
“Comments like these may encourage individuals to engage in disordered and harmful eating behaviours to try and look like their favourite celebrity.
“Much research has debated the impact that social media may have in the development and maintenance of an eating disorder and there are suggestions that whilst it may not be the cause of the illness, it may put significant pressure on young individuals who feel they should look a certain way.
“The Kardashians have a huge responsibility and comments like this leave me fearful for the followers that take their conversations and advice very seriously.”
Body positivity advocate and influencer Megan Crabbe, known as BodyPosiPanda, was equally appealed by the videos.
“It seems like every week the Kardashians do something new to endanger the mental health of their following, whether it's TV shows about ‘revenge bodies’, appetite-suppressing lollipops or trivialising life threatening eating disorders,” she told The Independent.
“They’ve shown time and time again that they're just not interested in the actual wellbeing of their fans, just their money.”
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