Diet Slam: Thigh Gap Fever Promotes Anorexic Behavior

You know how sometimes your thighs touch and you feel like a gross fattie? Well good news, ladies: now you can rid yourself of this disgusting problem, and all it takes is anorexic behavior!

Never mind that, according to medical experts, achieving this runway-model look is dangerous and nearly impossible for the vast majority of women. Or that thigh gap "motivation" sites have featured photos of Holocaust victims as "inspiration." According to the trending new Thigh Gap Hack diet (check out the book and website), you can achieve the no-touching aesthetic in just a few easy steps.

Some of the recommended activities are bone-headedly obvious, like eating right and exercising (you don't say!) But a key part of the regimen is flat-out dangerous: "retraining your hunger." Even Dr. Oz, never one to shy away from a get-skinny fix, pointed out on his show this week that the tactic could be seen as promoting starvation.

The craziness doesn't end there. As if we didn't feel bad enough, there's also a new workout video for the diet being released, called Bye Bye Thunder Thighs. But perhaps the most infuriating part is when the diet's website uses Beyonce, someone who has explicitly attacked "stick-thin" dieting expectations, as an examplar of the craze—because lo and behold, at the recent Grammys, there's a picture of her with her legs spread out really far where her gams don't touch!

Truth be told, I feel bad for the non-medically-trained woman behind this craze; she's probably dealing with a lot of legitimately tragic self-hatred (and is probably super-hungry). I encourage her and all other women to check out this amazing Tumblr page. Because contrary to what diet-mongers tell you, thighs touching is totally normal and doesn't ensure you'll die miserable and alone.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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