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People Are Calling Out Kim Kardashian for 'Sickening' Weight Loss 'Compliments'

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People are not happy with Kim Kardashian West after she uploaded a series of clips to her Instagram story Sunday in which her sisters, Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, tell her how skinny she looks. In one video, Khloe tells Kim she looks “anorexic here,” in reference to her waist.

Though Kim’s response to Khloe is cut off in the video, she writes on the story clip “TELL ME MORE.” Kim also asks Jenner to “tell her more” in a previous story clip about weight “compliments.” Khloe adds that Kim’s arms are “pin-thin” and are like her pinky.

In another clip, Jenner says that she’s “really concerned” because she doesn’t think Kim is eating, and she’s really skinny. Kim replies with a high-pitched “thank you.” Though Jenner seems concerned at first, she replies to Kim thanks with “of course.”

Other videos about Kim’s weight were uploaded. In one, Jenner said Kim is as tiny as her miniature purse, which she holds up. People were quick to call out Kim’s videos on Twitter, reminding the celebrity that being told you look like you have anorexia is not a compliment.

“Anorexic” was used and taken as a compliment in the videos, but anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders are serious mental illnesses. Though eating disorders have high mortality rates, anorexia is considered the deadliest mental illness, according to Eating Disorder Hope. One out of every five anorexia-related deaths is a suicide.

Compliments like the ones in Kim’s videos are often problematic, Claire Mysko, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), told Women’s Health, adding:

 We hear from many people—in fact most people who have struggled with eating disorders—have cited experiences where they have lost weight and been complimented, and this serves as fuel for their eating disorder. It’s tough in a culture where weight loss is lauded and there’s an assumption that weight loss is always a good thing.

In the video, Kim also mentions how much she weighs, which violates media guidelines for reporting on eating disorders. Glorifying or criticizing certain weights can be especially triggering for people with eating disorders. (Because of this, we did not link to the video where she discusses her weight.)

A contributor for The Mighty, Beth Wainwright, said she’s been complimented for losing weight while dealing with anorexia, but was able to see that her current situation was not one someone should strive for:

My anorexic body is not one to validate, to tell me I don’t need treatment,” she wrote. I know I do. My attitude towards food is incredibly unhealthy and I have to work with my therapist to reverse this. My anorexic body is not one you should envy. The body I will have in my recovery will be a body strong enough to take me through life as this one can’t yet.

Another contributor at The Mighty, Emily Mann, recounted an experience she had where she overhead a stranger tell her friend that she wished she was as “skinny as her” while pointing to Mann.

“Your words have a much bigger impact than you think,” she wrote. “Ignorance is so prevalent in society about so many different things. Be compassionate and do your best to understand other people.”

Kim has 114 million followers on Instagram, many of whom are young girls. This isn’t the first time she’s been called out for sharing controversial content. In May, Kim was under fire for promoting appetite-suppressant lollipops on Instagram.

Image via Creative Commons/Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer

Originally published: July 30, 2018
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