On Tuesday, June 4, STRIPED Director Bryn Austin sat down for a Facebook live interview with actress Jameela Jamil and body image researcher Nadia Craddock to discuss weight-loss products and celebrity responsibility.
Dietary supplements are a multi-billion-dollar industry, but these products are only weakly regulated and for many there’s no evidence of their efficacy. Supplements sold with promises of weight loss and cleansing or “detox” are often deceptive snake oil sold to unsuspecting consumers. And they can come with serious health consequences; more than 20,000 emergency room trips in the U.S. each year are blamed on supplements in general with fully a quarter due to weight-loss supplements. Manufacturers of these supplements exploit the insecurities of vulnerable consumers, especially teenage girls, who bear the brunt of the most intense body shaming pressures in our weight-obsessed culture. The pressure is only ratcheted up when celebrities endorse these products, touting their nearly magical weight-loss properties. During this Facebook Live Q&A, they explored the dangers of these dietary supplements, the physical and mental health effects stemming from body image issues, and the role celebrities can play in driving positive culture change.
Watch the entire Facebook Live interview here.
For Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2020, we shared highlights of this Facebook Live Q&A on our social media platforms. Watch these three highlights below.
