On February 7, Weight Watchers Inc. announced ‘a strategic vision to make wellness accessible to all.’ By this, they mean to help 10 million people adopt healthy habits and grow their revenue to over 2 billion dollars. And this is not a good thing (for like, 50% of their plan.)
Below is an excerpt from the global employee press release:
Weight Watchers plans to implement a number of initiatives to ensure its brand aligns with its values and purpose. These bold moves include the following initial actions.
- The removal of all artificial ingredients from products that carry the Weight Watchers brand.
- Weight Watchers intends to be a powerful partner for families in establishing healthy habits. During the summer of 2018, Weight Watchers will offer free memberships to teenagers aged 13 to 17, helping the development of healthy habits at a critical life stage.
Starting this summer, they will begin offering free memberships to teens aged 13-17, a move I (and much of the internet) believe could lead to severely disordered eating and body image issues.
As a sufferer of an eating disorder, I don’t think this is appropriate in the least. By encouraging weekly weigh-ins at meetings, ‘special diet foods’ and general social pressure, young girls and boys are only being forced to view the way they look with a critical eye. Research has proven that dieting at an early age and commenting on kid’s figures and weights are likely to lead to eating disorders- far more damaging to their health than being at a high weight.
I am someone who strongly advocates self-love and acceptance, and to see such mainstream predatory marketing for something that reminds me of something that continues to take its toll on me is quite honestly, frightening. We should be teaching our kids to love themselves and one another the way they are. Dr. Eve Freidl at the Columbia University Clinic in New York says there is a definite risk that teens who are encouraged to diet will develop an eating disorder, as anorexia nervosa and bulimia tend to develop during teen years. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) has also raised concern over the Weight Watchers promotion, along with many social media users. While Weight Watchers has issued a response, it seems they will not be retracting the promotion- basically saying they understand the criticism against it and will not be providing a ‘diet’ but rather a curriculum for healthy eating.
Ultimately, I could just be a paranoid, terrified victim. But I truly do hope that society understands the necessity for their voices to be heard, that Weight Watchers and other companies in the industry need to realize the vulnerability of teens nowadays. We need to be heard, and we need to show the world that we are all beautiful as we are.
Use the hashtag #wakeupweightwatchers to voice your own opinions and concerns!
If you struggle with an eating disorder or just need to talk to someone, you can call NEDA, the National Eating Disorders Association, at 1-800-931-2237 and or texting NEDA to 74174, the Crisis Text Line.