Kim Kardashian is known from her curvy figure and has made a career off the back of her looks but her recent weight loss has caused grave concerns for women who claim ‘thin is back in’.
As more images of Kim’s tiny figure crop up, hundreds online are claiming her weight loss signifies the end of the curvy body trend that she helped to start.
Australian dietician Susie Burrell weighed on the discussion telling FEMAIL it’s important for women to realise celebrities like Kim have the money for the best chefs, trainers and nutritionists and to be aware of how much of social media is edited.
Fat activist Dani Adriana, from Brisbane, said the obsession around mainstream body norms, be it curvy or skinny, has the potential to harm the body positivity movement and could see a rise in people aspiring to be thin.
Before and after: Kim Kardashian has caused a stir with her recent extreme weight loss with people claiming ‘thin is back in’ after she dropped 10kg of her ironically curvy figure
Australian dietician Susie Burrell (left) and fat activist Dani Adriana (right) spoke to Femail about the discussion around whether Kim Kardashian’s influence could see people striving for skinniness again
The reality TV star was open about losing seven kilos in just three weeks to fit into her Met Gala dress back in May and the following month said she was down a further three kilos, reportedly weighing in at just 166 pounds or 52 kilos.
Social media is abuzz every time she’s seen looking skinnier than ever with one Twitter user saying they’re ‘absolutely devastated that Kim Kardashian is bringing unnaturally skinny back’.
‘Every time I see these pics on the timeline, I’m stunned because thin is in again and it worries me. My early 2000s PTSD is creeping up,’ another tweet read.
Dani said whether you love Kim or not, there is no denying her influence and that there is potential for thinness to be the new body standard.
Social media is abuzz every time she’s seen looking skinnier than ever with one twitter user saying they’re ‘absolutely devastated that Kim Kardashian is bringing unnaturally skinny back’
‘When we see highly influential celebrities’ bodies change it can herald new waves of body trends in and out. Body trends seem to fluctuate just like swings of political affiliations or social movements,’ she said.
‘With Kim’s body looking different I don’t think it’s a jump to say that it may influence a thinner aspirational body type coming back into affect.’
Dani had pictures of Kim pasted in her journal when she was 14 aspiring to look like her as she was more ‘curvy’ than other celebrities at the time and said seeing her new look is ‘two-fold’.
‘While we should never shame anyone for body changes of any kind, as it’s none of our f***ing business, the obsession with thinness and how that impacts fat people is a very real consequence of “thin is in”,’ she said.
Dani had pictures of Kim pasted in her journal when she was 14 aspiring to look like her as she was more ‘curvy’ than other celebrities at the time and said seeing her new look is ‘two-fold’
Dani said whether you love Kim or not, there is no denying her influence and that there is potential for thinness to be the new body standard
‘Kim doesn’t owe us anything but she has created a brand of her looks and knows she has influence and aligns herself historically with f***ed up s*** like weight loss teas which truly harm people. I have more of a problem with her alignment to diet culture than how her own body looks.’
Dani said the desire for women in society to look one certain way and body shape trends can be harmful for the body positivity movement.
‘When there is a societal swing towards a different type of look to “thin is in” it will just continually highlight the underlying fat phobia of our society,’ she said.
She pointed out that Kim has a genetically miniscule waist that would not be achievable for most people no matter how much weight they lost
‘Overall I think when any body type becomes the “mainstream beauty narrative” it takes away from the body positive movement and makes another unattainable aspirational body the new normal.’
Susie said she noticed a shift in the past 10-15 years to the ‘curvy, small waist look with an exaggerated booty’ like the one Kim has championed over her career.
She pointed out that Kim has a genetically miniscule waist that would not be achievable for most people no matter how much weight they lost.
‘It is not possible to change body size unless your genetics will allow it. For example, Kim Kardashian has a tiny, tiny waist,’ the Nutrition Coach podcast host said.
‘Most people will never we able to get their waist this small no matter how hard they diet and exercise – its genetics.’
She reminded those looking to get leaner to take into consideration the amount of money celebrities have in their own weight loss endeavours to hire the best personal trainers, chefs and nutritionists.
‘For the rest of us, who do not have access to this support, the concern is that others will adopt more extreme measures to achieve rapid weight loss that is not always healthy or sustainable,’ she said.
Susie said the obsession with Kim’s new slim figure will peter away like all other trends and recommends people stick to goals that are in keeping with their own genetics and body type
‘The other thing is that with digital media it is actually difficult to tell what is real versus what is edited – the real image is often very different to what we are exposed to on social.’
Susie said the obsession with Kim’s new slim figure will peter away like all other trends and recommends people stick to goals that are in keeping with their own genetics and body type.
‘If you look throughout history we have always had this kind of cyclical change in body shape ideal – look at Twiggy in the 70s and Kate Moss in the 90s but these are all icons with vastly different looks who have simply highlighted their genetic features,’ she said.
‘I think that this look, like all the others will come and go and the main take home message is that if you want your body to be smaller, do it the right way with the advice of professionals to help you lose weight the right way and in a way that is also achievable for your body type.’
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