Kim Kardashian fans slam her for promoting 'appetite suppressant' lollipops on Instagram
Kim Kardashian's most recent Instagram might have seemed totally innocuous at first glance. But, look a little closer and you'll see it's an #ad post promoting "Appetite Suppressant Lollipops." And, her fans are calling the move "completely irresponsible."
"You guys… @flattummyco just dropped a new product. They’re Appetite Suppressant Lollipops and they’re literally unreal," wrote Kardashian. "They’re giving the first 500 people on their website 15% OFF so if you want to get your hands on some… you need to do it quick! #suckit."
But, fans were less than happy about the post, which has since gained over 1.1 million likes.
A lot of comments picked up on the message Kardashian was sending to her younger fans.
"Completely irresponsible and a really sad message to be projecting. You can have a fit and healthy body without starving yourself and listening to your body when it needs food," wrote one commenter.
One Instagram user declared the post "so irresponsible." "You are setting the worst example to girls all over the world. No one should have to feel the need to suppress their appetite to fit to ridiculous beauty standards. So offended right now," they wrote.
"Ur messin you, you’re sending such a horrid message to your younger followers. Can’t believe in 2018 this is what you’re sharing. Absolutely disgusting tbh," wrote another follower.
People also criticised the use of the term "appetite suppressant," with many saying this was a harmful way to try to lose weight.
"Your fans are going to be seeing this and thinking that this is how to get your body."
"If you’re hungry then eat. This is disgusting. Your fans are going to be seeing this and thinking that this is how to get your body. Eating is good for you, stop convincing people to literally starve themselves of food to get a flat tummy," wrote one commenter.
"Why would you want to suppress your appetite. When you’re hungry you're hungry," wrote another.
One Instagram user implored people to eat if they are hungry, stating that "eating is healthy, your body needs food and fuel." "Please guys if your body is telling you it’s hungry THEN EAT, this is such an unhealthy thing to promote," the user wrote.
According to the Flat Tummy Co's website, the lollipops contain an ingredient called "satiereal" which it claims is a "clinically proven safe active ingredient extracted from natural plants."
"It works to maximise satiety (which helps control food intake, cravings and weight). So with 1-2 pops per day, you’ll have your hunger under control and cravings in-check," reads the product description on-site.
Per a report published by the National Institutes of Health, satiereal is an extract of "saffron stigma," which can "reduce snacking and enhance satiety," and as a result "contribute to weight loss."
Nonetheless, the mere mention of the word "appetite suppression," paired with an image of Kim Kardashian, could well send a message to fans that they should eat less to look like her.
Topics Instagram Celebrities
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
