It’s a horrible thing to hear about, but it looks like Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has become a ‘role model’ on pro-anorexia websites in the US.
According to the Herald Sun, 29-year-old Kate Middleton is cited as a “success story” on pro-anorexia websites in the US because of her continuing weight loss. The Duchess used to be a “healthy size 10-12″ in the UK (see left side of the photo above, taken in 2009), but is now estimated to be a UK size 4, which is a size 0 in the US (see right side of the photo above from a recent visit to Birmingham).
It has also been reported that, although Kate has always been slender, much of her wardrobe had to be altered in order to accommodate her new, more slender figure.
These “pro-ana” websites chart Kate’s weight loss by comparing photos from her university days to more recent photos from her and Prince William’s North American tour in July.
One post even said, “I mean I’m happy for her and all, getting married…but I am very jealous. I swear she used to be really quite chubby during her uni days.”
A friend of Kate’s was appalled when hearing about these websites saying, “Kate is very slender but she certainly doesn’t have an eating disorder. She’ll be horrified that she is on these sites. Yes, she has lost weight but that’s largely down to the stress she has been under and all the traveling she has done recently.”
Kate’s younger sister Pippa Middleton, also features on some “pro-ana” websites, but it’s Kate’s figure which apparently gets more attention.
A spokesman for the Duchess of Cambridge declined to comment, but Beat, an organization dealing with eating disorders in the UK, has stated that the websites are “dangerous.”
Now, I’m a size 0 too, but I’m not in the world’s spotlight all the time with people comparing recent photos of myself to past photos of myself, and I’m not the future Queen of England. Furthermore, I’m not Kate Middleton and, as the Duchess’ friend said, she’ll be horrified about being featured on these types of websites.
Thoughts, Lovelies?
guest
WTF?!?! chubby in her uni days? YOU CALL THAT CHUBBY?!
guest
If she was chubby, then I’m an elephant.
People are crazy!
ranunculus / 3457 posts
She does look disgustingly thin, so I guess she is a model for these sites.
guest
I find it very interesting, only because I don’t think she’s lost that much weight. I can barely see a difference. I can understand someone slimming down from traveling and stress though. Different country = different food and what girl doesn’t want to shed a few extra pounds for her wedding day?? But I do believe it’s horrible that she’s being posted at “pro-anorexia,” and that she will be horrified when she finds out she is seen as that.
hydrangea / 80 posts
@LeannaClaire16@xanga - Agreed. I can see she’s lost weight, but I don’t see where she’s lost tons and tons. Even if she did lose weight intentionally, that’s not a crime. As you said, loads of women want to slim down for their weddings – especially if they’re being broadcast worldwide.
guest
The blame shouldn’t be put on Kate. Those pro-anorexics are going to use anyone and everyone as a way to validate their disease; they even use real life girls that are not celebrities.
guest
i was wondering if i had been the only one noticing her ridiculously skinny, unshapely self compared to her older healthy body. @_@ yet everyone on lovelyish was talking about how amazing she looks. blegh. i dunno.
guest
With the stress she’s probably under, it’s only natural she would lose weight o__o
guest
“chubby”??????????? omg…
guest
in a previous lovelyish post where she was wearing a bikini, she looked very toned and slim, not anorexic or too skinny. I think her body type is more a rolemodel for fitness magazines to aim for a toned body than pro-anorexia.
guest
I think she’s on these websites because before she lost some weight, she was already in good shape. and then she lost more and became really thin, but i don’t think she looks underweight or even has an eating disorder, it’s not her fault those sights portray her that way.
guest
if the whole world was documenting my every movement, I think I’d be losing weight too.
guest
OMG! she looks soo much better weight wise in her university years! she looks healthy!! Now.. she looks way tooo skinny!
guest
isn’t every skinny girl with a fantastical life a role-model for this weird community? The only responsibility she has to that community is to not be an advocate. this community of Pro-anorexic’s have skewed perspectives and values, nothing you really can do about that
guest
Everybody who is upset about the use of “chubby” to describe her old weight.. keep in mind that “healthy-thin” for people struggling with eating disorders is always seen not as the ideal. Body shape and weight and clothing sizes all get a little warped. Try to see it from someone else’s point of view instead of getting offended. Everybody sees things differently.
guest
As long as she is being healthy and is comfortable with her body she shouldn’t be responsible for stupid girls getting eating disorders. The problem is that there are actually websites out there like that for young girls to easily access and get ideas into their heads.
dahlia / 2103 posts
I think she looked great before, and I also think she looks great now. I’m not a fan of the extreme waif-thin look, and I don’t think she has reached that point. Hell, can you imagine the pressure to lose weight for a royal freaking wedding? My wedding will be in a year and a half and I’m bound and determined that I WILL wear a size 6 wedding dress (right now I’m a 14). I can’t imagine that kind of pressure PLUS the entire world will be watching your every move.
Pro-ana websites are sad and sick, and they make “role models” of these people, projecting things onto them that may not even be true. A lot of the sites are very mean too…since their ideal is a walking skeleton, they say hateful chubby/fat comments about girls that are already thin, famous or not. I honestly don’t know what I’d do in Kate’s position, but I sure as hell wouldn’t change myself because of a bunch of people on the Internet googling my pic who need mental help. I’m not saying that to be mean; people that buy into pro-anorexia seriously do need help changing their mindset.
guest
These websites or any media outlet are going to say what they want no matter what, Kate is lucky they’re just saying it’s because they think she’s anorexic, they could be posting that she’s snorting coke and strung out leading her to lose all the weight. People are just cruel….
rose / 903 posts
She looked way better before, but I doubt she got as skinny as she is now by being anorexic. She doesn’t look unhealthy now, but her body was healthier looking and more relateable before.
guest
Unfortunately, no one can control who people who frequent pro-eating disorder sites decide to make into an idol. The fact that she is the future Queen of England does not make using her as an idol any more or less wrong then if she were a celebrity or woman on the street. It is not Kate’s or anyone else whose picture gets used on pro-anorexia websites to project a healthy or ideal image. The people who frequent the site need help to change their mindset.
sunflower / 281 posts
She looks AMAZING in clothes and is beautiful. Of course she’s inspiration in that respect lol. Anyone in the lime light loses weight anyway once they realize how a camera warps his or her image.
She looks awesome.
guest
@corpsegutted@xanga - okay, I have ED, but still think she wasn’t chubby. Just because I was 69 lbs or because I’m underweight now too, in my opinion she was very pretty, healthy, not chubby. But it’s just my opinion.
guest
I guess nobody can be a healthy size 0 anymore, sheesh. She looks good and is skinny, so I wouldn’t be surprised seeing her on such a site. Doesn’t mean she should gain weight or something.
guest
i think she looks just fine, i am her size and am one of the lucky people that is naturally so. as long as she is actually healthy her size doesn’t really matter.
guest
@MoonFaeEyryan@xanga - Giiirrrrl, I have to say, I always see your comments here and there on Xanga and you got some sass!
guest
Using her as a model isn’t claiming that she has a disorder – just that she’s thin, which she clearly is. She shouldn’t feel responsible for people admiring her figure and going to drastic measures to attempt to match it. Basically every skinny celebrity is a model for pro-ana sites; it doesn’t matter if they have a disorder or are naturally skinny. This isn’t really shocking.
guest
Well as someone with an ED and has seen way more than I’d like of it- I highly highly doubt Kate has AN. People with AN have bones sticking out where they just shouldn’t, no matter what their size. And they look SICK. Not slim, hot, or cute, just bloody sick.
I don’t mean to encourage those who think EDs can be spotted by appearance only, I only want to state that there is a vast difference between thin but muscular and thin and gaunt. And the pro-ana world will take on any celebrity who’s lost weight just to get attention and commentary.