Considering the Negative Consequences of a “Bikini Body” (2024)

Annie Laweryson, a doctoral student in Clinical-Community Psychology, a former college athlete, and a Master's of Science degree holder in Nutrition and Clinical Health Psychology, shares an open letter to those who perpetuate the "thin body ideal."

Dear Kayla Itsines,

I am writing this letter from a place of compassion, but also of concern for many women in our society especially the younger generations. Mostly, I would like to discuss your direct impact – and the impact of your “products” such as the “Bikini Body Guide” – on the development of adolescent and young adult women, people you explicitly call out to join the #KaylaMovement. You have clearly worked hard to become a successful business woman and social media star, and being a successful woman that reaches millions of followers, you are now in a position of high visibility and power. As such, I challenge you take this kind of responsibility seriously and consider your impact on the women of today.

First, I would like to bring to your attention how your “Bikini Body” products continue to perpetuate the idea that, in order for women to become valuable members of society, they must look a certain way. The “thin ideal” is a body standard set by Western culture that purports the notion that healthy and attractive bodies are thin, and that non-thin bodies are unattractive and unhealthy. The extent to which women are affected by the thin ideal cannot be denied. The consequences of such a notion include, but is not limited to: body dysmorphia, body dissatisfaction, decreased levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy, eating disorders, sexism, depression, anxiety, and various other health disparities. Social media is one of the cruelest contributors toward the propagation of the thin ideal. The fabrication of photos through Photoshop, airbrush, and awkward poses maintain the belief that beauty is reserved only for those willing to work hard enough or are so lucky enough to be “naturally” thin.

In some heart breaking cases, the affected population is as young as five years old. Did you know that one study in particular found that 34% of 5-year-old girls were restricting their diets in order to maintain a “thin” body (Damiano, 2015)? This is just one of many studies indicating that we now live in a day where obsession with being “thin” has so pervaded our culture that 5 year-olds are taught to starve themselves in order to reduce their body weight. This is especially surprising given the fact that children in the preoperational stage of cognitive development typically do not yet possess the ability to relate consumption of food to the changing mass of their bodies. The study also cited a correlational relationship between social media and these girls’ eating behaviors, meaning that these little girls had to have been taught explicitly to starve themselves as a means to stay thin and, in this case, the teacher was social media.

The second point that I would like to make is to discuss the dangers of implicitly associating happiness, health, and confidence with being thin or having a “fit” body. Implicit associations are made when differing stimuli are repeatedly presented together such that a relationship between such stimuli are created in one’s mind regardless of the true presence of one. That is, even if there is no true relationship or link between the stimuli – in this case, between being thin and being happy, healthy, or confident – people may still develop the false belief (a delusion!) that being thin means being happy, healthy, and confident. The frequent posting of pictures showcasing partially clothed fit/thin bodies as stand alones or in the form of before/after pictures have created a relationship in which woman are implicitly taught that these body types are necessary to achieve happiness and health. Not to mention the fact that “non-thin” bodies are demonized and portrayed as unhealthy (as seen in “before” pictures), repeatedly pairing not thin bodies with ideas of undesirability. The irony, however, is that many women pursue body types that promise them health and happiness at the expense of the one thing they are trying to achieve.

In addition, I cannot help but notice the similarities between your pictures and those found on #thinsperation, or the pictures found on Pro-Anna websites (web pages or blogs dedicated to “inspire” girls and women to starve themselves). As a master’s level nutrition professional, I feel the ethical responsibility to state that under no circ*mstances should a “healthy” individual set a goal of maintaining a low kcalorie (1600kcal is very low) per day especially while leading an active lifestyle. While nutritional needs vary greatly between individuals, I assert that from what I have seen of the “diet” portion of your products that the recommendations are not in accordance with empirically based evidence. So to this, I encourage you to discuss updated nutrition recommendations with a nutrition professional.

Third, I would like to discuss the difference between intent and impact. For the purpose of this letter, let’s define intent as the act of sending a message with a specific plan whereas impact will be defined as the message understood on the receiving end. For example, one may intend to convey messages of health, fitness, and happiness, but the resulting impact may be one in which the receiving message is “that in order to be healthy, happy, fit, or confident one must look like me” -“me” being the image of a very thin, young woman with styled hair and new clothes. We are responsible for both our intentions and the impact of our actions. I do believe the possibility that you mean well with the message you are trying to convey. However, the impact – the real message that is received – by your actions may be damaging to many women. For example, I recently watched an interview on YouTube in which you stated that the point of the Bikini Body Guide is to facilitate confidence in women’s bodies. If this is so, perhaps you could consider changing the name of your product because, for all intents and purposes, the message received by society is not one of health, happiness, “fitness”, and least of all, confidence. The cover of your website exclaims: “Earn Your Bikini Body”. The use of this term in conjunction with the rest of the content on your website leads one to think of a “bikini body” as an indicator of women’s health, strength, and confidence. The problem here is that, other than a materialistically degrading term meant to shame women’s bodies, what exactly constitutes a “bikini body” in the first place?

As a woman myself, a Masters-level nutrition professional, a Masters-level mental health professional, and a former athlete, I understand this topic deeply and on a personal level. It is hard to watch the perfectly healthy women in my life feel shame toward their bodies and starve themselves all in the name of achieving a “bikini body”. I believe that what our world needs is more women who can identify and put a stop to body shaming whether explicit or implicit. I am all for promoting an active lifestyle, but not at the expense of contending a woman’s happiness, health, and confidence on how her body looks.

My hope is that you would take the concepts in this letter under consideration and seriously think about the impact that your business and social media success has on woman and girls today. I understand that you are not the only person who, not only is perpetuating the “thin body” ideal, but is also profiting from it. I understand that you are not to blame for all of the negative societal, psychological, and health consequences of the “thin body” ideal. However, you are one of the few who is now in a position of power, a position to influence millions of people. And with that great power comes great responsibility – as Voltaire and Spider Man’s Uncle Ben once said. And so I challenge you – Kayla Itsines – to pay attention to the influence that you have in the world and to take responsibility for your position and impact in society.

Sincerely,

Annie

Annie Laweryson is a Clinical-Community Psychology doctoral student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has a Master's of Science degree in Nutrition and Clinical Health Psychology from Bastyr University located in Kenmore, WA. Annie specializes in an integrative approach to mental health and integrated health research, and is passionate about an array of social justice issues including the reduction of body shame and the prevalence of food insecurity.

Reference:

Damiano, S., Paxton, S., Wertheim, E., McLean, S., Gregg, K. (2015). Dietary restraint of five-year-old girls: Associations with internalization of the thin ideal and maternal, media, and peer influences. International Journal of Eating Disorders.