Kim Kardashian under fire for saying the f lu is an ‘amazing way to diet’
KIM Kardashian faced a fierce backlash yesterday for telling her 51million social media followers that the flu is an ‘amazing diet’.
The 36-year-old was accused of sending out a dangerous message, after tweeting that she was ‘happy’ she had contracted the virus ahead of fashion event the Met Gala.
The reality television star, who claimed she had lost 6lb, tweeted: ‘The flu can be an amazing diet. So happy it came in time for the Met lol #6lbsdown’.
But while the mother-of-two and wife of rapper Kanye West insisted the tweet was a joke, she was subject to an angry backlash from health experts and her own fans.
One twitter user wrote: ‘You’re promoting weight loss in spite of health to thousands of impressionable people who take you very seriously.’ Another added: ‘It sends dangerous messages and supports not being healthy as a valid weight loss technique. But I wonder why eating disorders are so common.’
The Met Gala is an annual fundraising night for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York. It is attended by dozens of celebrities and members of the fashion elite.
Miss Kardashian, who has attended the ball for the past four years, was also criticised by health experts. Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘I have a real problem with fad diets put about by so- called celebrities and my advice would be to ignore anything she says. It’s completely irresponsible of Miss Kardashian, or someone of her amount of influence, to suggest that something as serious as the flu should be any kind of replacement for a diet, and young people should ignore her.’
A spokesman for the British Nutrition Foundation said having the flu was ‘not the time to try to lose weight’. They added: ‘Sensi- ble weight loss should be seen as an overall lifestyle change which involves eating a healthy, balanced diet and doing plenty of physical activity. It’s important to stay well- nourished and hydrated when you have the flu to help with your recovery, it isn’t a time to try to lose weight.’
The Met Gala, which has seen the likes of Victoria Beckham, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Beyonce in attendance, will take place on May 1. In previous years Miss Kardashian, who has daughter North, three, and son Saint, one, has worn outfits by Givenchy, Lanvin and Balmain.
She posted on social media about hitting her goal weight of 9st 10lb last year thanks to the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet.
Some criticised her yesterday for making light of influenza, as it kills up to 59,000 patients every year in the US. A spokesman for Miss Kardashian said last night: ‘It was a joke. It’s called sarcasm.’