Once upon a time, Cinderella was just a fairytale but now a Japanese weight loss trend called the ‘Cinderella diet’ has gone viral.
And, while a dream is a wish your heart makes, according to the experts this diet sounds more like a nightmare.
The controversial new fad encourages people to calculate their ‘Cinderella goal weight’, which apparently is the ideal weight needed to look like their favourite animated character.
With their tiny waists and big eyes, many of us have dreamed of looking like a Disney princess but what does it actually take to look like one?
To calculate your Cinderella weight, you apparently have to square your height in metres and then multiply that number by 18.
The Cinderella weight aims for a body mass index (BMI) of around 18, which is considered underweight on the BMI scale.
Unsurprisingly the fad diet is already causing a furore online.
Some users have been posting how much weight they would have to lose to reach the goal weight, while others have claimed that the diet is ridiculous, with many becoming concerned that the unrealistic goal weight will lead to extreme dieting.
So, what do the professionals have to say?
‘The Cinderella diet is incredibly scary and dangerous. This is a terrifying trend,’ Sydney-based dietitian Lyndi Cohen told Femail.
What’s more there could potentially be very serious side effects. ‘When your BMI drops to 18, you’re at a seriously high risk of losing healthy function of your body,’ she explains.
‘Restricting your diet to achieve this low weight is dangerous and you may feel lethargic, experience extreme mood swings, grow unwanted body hair, find it hard to socialise, be at risk of fainting and lose your period.’
This isn’t the first time Disney’s Cinderella has caused controversy.
In 2015, there was speculation that special effects had been used to alter the waist of Lily James – who played Ella in the live-action remake of the film.
‘I have naturally quite a small waist,’ Lily told ABC’s Nightline when asked about it.
‘And on top of that I have a corset that was pulled me into the inch of my life … And then the skirt is so big that the perspective and the proportions make it look smaller than it is.’
All of this has made us want to forget Prince Charming altogether. We’ll take a donut any day.
