By now you probably know why everyone is mad at Kim Kardashian, again.
She posted an ad on Instagram for appetite suppressant lollipops by Flat Tummy Co with the caption ’#ad You guys… @flattummyco just dropped a new product. They’re Appetite Suppressant Lollipops and they’re literally unreal. They’re giving the first 500 people on their website 15% OFF so if you want to get your hands on some… you need to do it quick! #suckit’
The backlash came almost immediately.
Many focused on the fact that as such an influential person, especially one with young followers, she shouldn’t be promoting products that encourage questionable weight loss methods.
Jameela Jamil, whose i-weigh campaign encourages women to be proud of their achievements instead of focussing on their weight, was particularly vocal, tweeting; ‘No. Fuck off. No. You terrible and toxic influence on young girls. I admire their mother’s branding capabilities, she is an exploitative but innovative genius, however this family makes me feel actual despair over what women are reduced to.’
We know that many of the diet and weight loss products marketed to women teach us harmful things about our bodies, that we’re not skinny enough, we need to lose weight to be happy, that we need to get ‘beach body ready.’
They’re not only harmful in terms of messaging, but they can also be harmful for our bodies – you have an appetite for a reason, so that you eat and provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function. Supressing it with a lollipop is probably not the best idea.
Anyone who watches Keeping Up With The Kardashian's will know that of all the Kardashians, Kim has a reasonably relatable attitude to food - she's the one who will talk about cravings and how difficult it is to always eat healthily.
In fact, a deleted scene from the showreveals that Kim may have never used the Fit Tea she promotes, as it shows her struggling to make a cup.
Let’s step back from the outrage for a second and consider that Flat Tummy Co isn’t the only company selling these products, and Kim Kardashian isn’t the only influencer selling them.
Have a scroll through Flat Tummy Co’s Instagram feed and you will see what I mean.
And this is just one brand.
I knew about Flat Tummy Co and other flat tummy products way before Kim Kardashian, it’s what lots of influencers start promoting once they get 10,000 followers and want to monetise their pages.
Of course Kim Kardashian is the thick end of the wedge, so to speak, because she has so much more influence that other… well, influencers, but if we’re annoyed at Kim, we should be annoyed at the whole industry and the other influencers that promote these products too.
A crack down on these kinds of products would do more to help young impressionable women than being mad at Kim Kardashian will do.