Reality TV star Zara McDermott has been criticised on social media for sharing her weight loss transformation photos on Instagram, with critics accusing her of promoting ‘unhealthy body standards’.

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The backlash has opened up the conversation on how the media affects body image and how, as one mental health nurse told me, it can lead to eating disorders.

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"Almost three stone down"

 

The 23-year-old's Instagram posts were uploaded to her Stories for her 1.5 million followers. They include a before and after picture of her on the beach in June 2019, followed by a picture of her now where she appears slimmer. The next image shows her at the gym, with the caption “almost three stone down”. 

 

Fans are accusing the star of sharing an “extremely damaging” message to her mostly young audience. 

 

One said: “ After an already tough few weeks battling with my body, seeing Zara McDermott’s post has just about tipped me over the edge 

 

“It's perfectly fine to be happy with a weight loss, but it's an act of making it public to a young, impressionable audience that doesn’t sit right with me.”

 

There were also concerns that some might interpret her post as suggesting her previous weight was ‘unhealthy’. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One person said: “As a size 10 woman who has been incredibly anxious about the prospect of lockdown weight fluctuation, I find the fact that a story promoting a woman dropping three stone from around my current weight is trending to be highly distressing.”

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Zara response to the backlash

 

Miss McDermott appeared on the 2018’s season of ITV’s Love Island, but soon joined the cast of Made in Chelsea in 2019 after sparking a romance with former cast member Sam Thompson. 

 

The former islander, took to Instagram stories to respond, addressing  the fact that people were speculating about her having an eating disorder, saying that it’s “entirely unfair”. 

 

"I think it's entirely unfair to call me 'anorexic'. In my opinion it's the same as calling someone morbidly obese. That's a serious accusation of an eating disorder that I do not have.

 

"I understand that for anyone recovering from an ED any post about weight loss could be triggering. But my journey has been done incredible healthily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I have always been quite tall and naturally slim. When I was a teen I struggled to put on weight. I was eating a huge amount back in 2019...'I'm talking probably 3000 calories a day. I was a size 10. Which is not an unhealthy weight at all.

 

"But for my body type, height and the fact I've always had a fast metabolism and always been naturally petite. It was a huge change."

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How does social media affect body image?

 

Social media plays a big role in girls and young women’s lives - and its influence on body image and beauty standards continues to grow, according to research by the Mental Health Foundation. It further suggests social media may lead to mental health issues and eating disorders.

 

An Online survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation with YouGov consisted of 4,505 Uk adults 18+ and 1,118 teenagers aged 13-19. Just over one third (34%) felt down and low and 19% felt disgusted because of their body image in the last year. 

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Over a third of UK adults and 31% of teenagers have felt anxious or depressed.

One in five UK adults said images on social media had caused them to worry

about their body.

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Nelly Pritchard, Mental Health nurse at County Hospital Talygarn unit

said: "Media perception of beauty and attractiveness particularly when

celebrities and influencers are extremely thin is one of the causes for

eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia.

 

"Young girls normally start off by dieting with a view to keep their weight

as low as possible due to pressure and wanting a sense of belonging

in society."

 

How to use social media positively 

 

Body positivity is developing its profile on social media. Research by

The Conversation website shows that viewing body positive content on Instagram

may improve women’s body image. 

 

A new trend has started on social media called BoPo focusing on body positivity. It aims to

challenge narrow beauty standards and encourages acceptance and appreciation

of bodies of all shapes and sizes. 

 

Makeup artist Ellen Pugh, from Cardiff said: “Social media has changed so much over the years, there are a lot more influencers who like to show off unrealistic body standards.

 

"I learnt to realise that some of these girls are naturally slim and I could never achieve that - back when I was in school I was always looked as the fat friend in my friendship group and I wasn’t even that big.

 

"As I have grown up I have learnt to love myself the way I am with all my curves and be more body positive. When posting content online I normally only ever post from the shoulders up but this doesn’t mean I am not confident in my body.

 

"I am just showcasing the makeup looks I have done so other girls and boys can see that instagram and other social platforms can be used in different ways to spread positivity."

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