National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Popular Japanese ‘Cinderella diet’ creating a storm on social media - Sovereign Health Group
Articles / Blog
02-28-18 Category: Behavioral Health


A popular diet in Japan inspired by the Walt Disney’s cartoon character has taken the social media by storm. The disturbing and highly controversial weight-loss regimen called “Cinderella diet” has caught the fancy of many people worldwide. Aiming for a body mass index (BMI) of 18, the Cinderella weight is officially considered as underweight on the BMI scale. The formula for arriving at one’s “goal weight,” is determined by squaring the person’s height in meters, then multiplying that number by 18.

This is not the first time that the fairy-tale character from Disney has stirred up a controversy. Way back in 2015, actress Lily James, who starred in the American romantic fantasy film “Cinderella,” made viewers envy her small waist, although there were speculations that her proportions were digitally altered to suit the character. Sadly, even today, hundreds of viewers and fans have been unable to differentiate between what is real and what is fantasy. Such unwary individuals usually consider these images flashed on social media as benchmarks of beauty. As a result, they are never comfortable with the way they look and feel.

In today’s world, films, television channels and social media play an important role in shaping perceptions and raising confidence about one’s overall appearance and personality. Some people do not find the Cinderella weight unrealistic because they claim that it is only a desire to be skinny. Whereas, others argue that it is abnormally low weight for a normal healthy human being.

Sadly, for many young women, the pressures of looking good or meeting certain societal expectations can make life hard, forcing them to take extreme dietary steps fixated with appearance and measurements. The truth is the media portrays a certain kind of ideal body types, which don’t represent the general population. But, sadly, the vast majority of people get carried away by artificial skinny images flooding social media platforms, easy to rake up feelings of imperfection, failure and depression, affecting one’s physical as well as mental health. The pressure to be in the spotlight or wear a size zero dress can push a normal woman toward eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.

Eating disorders are treatable

Eating disorders are serious emotional and physical problems. They can develop irrespective of age, race, gender, culture or socioeconomic status. However, eating disorders are treatable conditions. Such an illness needs to be addressed professionally. So, family members and friends of people battling eating disorders should encourage them to seek counseling from a mental health expert. The discourse is changing nowadays. What was considered a taboo in the past is being rightfully recognized as a serious public health concern.

An eating disorder can affect both men and women alike during any phase of their lives. However, studies say it generally starts during adolescence, and could continue throughout adulthood. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), in the U.S., 10 million men and 20 million women will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at any given point of time in their life. Apart from anorexia nervosa and bulimia, eating disorders also include binge eating disorder and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED).

Notably, stigma and shame associated with eating disorders has prevented many individuals from coming out and speaking about their condition. To bust the myths, create awareness and encourage people to seek counseling and treatment, the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is observed every year. In 2018, it is observed from February 26 to March 4.

If you or your loved one is struggling with any kind of eating disorders, contact Sovereign Health of California for evidence-based treatment. Clinicians at our world-class eating disorder treatment centers in California are trained to identify the underlying causes and prescribe customized therapies based on a patient’s requirements. You can call our 24/7 helpline or chat online with one of our counselors for more information on our treatment programs.

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