Celebrities such as the Kardashians, Amber Rose and Jenni “J WOWW” Farley are just a few famous faces that use their platforms to advertise weight loss products. Companies such as Flat Tummy Co. and 310 Nutrition use celebrities to endorse their products through social media. Instead of promoting unhealthy weight loss supplements, celebrities should use their platform to promote self-love and a healthy body image.
With people usually idolizing the person holding the weight loss supplements for the cameras, they tend to ignore the true side effects that these products bring. Social media does not offer expert advice and is definitely not the platform for these products.
Some see a seemingly perfect celebrity with a toned physique or a picture-perfect body, but others look at it as the “easy way out.” Since these celebrities are putting no effort into uploading work out routines, they make it appear that the weight loss programs work like magic.
“They’re just something for you to spend money on and for advertisers to bribe you to try their products,” junior sports management major Nasya Chauncey said. “You know what’s best for you and how to lose weight. Some of them may work, but it’s just something for you to waste money on. I don’t think they actually work.”
Fox News reported that due to “flexible federal regulation of weight loss products and their often obscure ingredients, many registered dietitians question whether these programs offer more than what can be attained through a traditional healthy lifestyle.” Other dietitians worry that participants will lose money or their health will decline.
Registered Dietician Abbey Sharp wrote on her personal blog that “this method has historically been tied to the diet industry [and] it almost always involves non-nutrition professional ambassadors whose goal is their bottom line.” The idea of selling products via social media is not new, and sellers often care more about the money instead of their clients’ health.
Everyone’s body is not built the same, and it is unrealistic to assume that a single weight loss pill will have the same effect on all participants. Bodies are structured differently, and factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart conditions are not taken into consideration when these social media giants start their advertising schemes.
Some believe that social media is an empowering platform, showing great examples of a body that can be obtained, while others believe that this is just a way to prey on and take money from those who are misinformed. Instead of using hashtags to satisfy their endorser, celebrity platforms should instead be used to promote body awareness and positivity.
