Chinese Media Influencer Cuihua Dies At Weight Loss Camp While Starving Herself Trying To Lose 100kg
A social media celebrity who wanted to inspire her fans by losing more than half her body weight reportedly passed away in China while undergoing a rigorous weight-loss boot camp.
The death of the 21-year-old influencer, known online as Cuihua, has rekindled worries about the pressures women face to meet social media’s standards for beauty while also prompting the Chinese official media to warn residents about the safety dangers associated with weight-loss camps.
the 10th of June, according to Chinese media. Her passing occurs only a few weeks after a young man in the nation passed away after live-streaming himself consuming a number of powerful alcohol bottles.
Chinese Media Influencer Cuihua Dies At Weight Loss Camp While Starving Herself
Cuihua had been documenting her weight-loss journey to her tens of thousands of followers on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, in a bid to encourage them in their own fights against obesity.
Chinese social media influencer Cuihua dies at weight loss camp while starving herself trying to lose 100kg
She had recently posted several videos of herself undergoing intensive training exercises and shared that she weighed 156 kilograms (344 pounds) and was trying to lose 100 kilograms.
Videos posted on the account showed her running and weight-lifting and they were shared heavily on Chinese social media . Her videos also appeared in various state media outlets following her death.
China National Radio reported that Cuihua – identified by her family name of Zhou had joined several weight-loss camps in various cities in a bid to reach her goal and had lost more than 27 kilograms (60 pounds) in the two months leading up to her death.
CNR said Cuihua had attended her final camp in Shaanxi province just two days before her death.
While that camp promoted “nutritious meals, rest and healthy exercise,” they said she had chosen to limit her diet while also undergoing intense exercise.
Videos of Cuihua training have since been removed from the account and pictures deleted.
State media outlets said that the influencer’s family had received “compensation” from the weight loss camp in Shaanxi, but did not say how much.
Local authorities have said they are investigating the death and whether the weight loss camp was conducting excessive or improper training.
Experts in eating disorders and sports nutrition warn that even seemingly healthy behaviors such as increasing levels of exercise and dieting can be harmful when motivated by a negative body image and taken to extremes.
In extreme cases, problems can go beyond mental health and lead to severe medical complications affecting the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and other organs.
Recent national survey in Chinese data suggests more than half of Chinese adults are now either overweight or obese, according to the Lancet, and obesity rates are expected to increase.