During the summer of 2018, Beyoncé made history again: she was the first woman to open the Coachella Festival, a prestigious event in the United States. Her concert, which included a mix of feminist values and tributes to African-American culture, had many spectators awestruck. However, the singer is currently at the heart of controversy. The reason for this: her physical preparation for her performance at Coachella.
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On her YouTube channel, the singer promotes a programme called "22 days nutrition". In the video, posted on July 24, you can see the star stepping on a scale on the first day of rehearsals for the concert. "This is my weight: 175 pounds. Long way to go. Let's get it".
What is this diet?
Beyoncé followed the 22 days nutrition program, developed by coach and author Marco Borges. Although it normally spans 22 days, the singer did it twice, in order to lose the weight she had gained during her last pregnancy (she gave birth to twins, Sir and Rumi, in June 2017).
This diet consists primarily of eating only fruits, vegetables and plants. In the Netflix documentary about her preparation for the concert, Beyoncé claims bread, sugar, meat, pasta, dairy, alcohol and rice are off-limits. This diet is vegan and focuses entirely on the absorption of natural foods, and Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z have been recommending it since 2013.
Controversial for a "positive body" celebrity
Highly criticized in the media and on social networks, Beyoncé is accused by Internet users of encouraging her more impressionable fans to aspire to be slimmer. "Beyoncé is capitalising on this susceptibility. It’s not the first time – in 2006, she discussed the extreme liquid diet she went on to prepare for a role in Dreamgirls. Her profiting from the tools of crash dieting suggests a woman grossly out of touch: exploiting impressionable fans by hawking them an unmatchable ideal" says Laura Snapes, a Guardian journalist.
On Twitter, Internet users say they are disappointed in the songstress, who is completely contradicting her usual body positive message. "I love Beyoncé with all my heart, but I don't want her giving out dieting advice," says a young woman. "I'm disappointed to see her promote such a strict diet. Use your fame to promote all kinds of beauty instead," says another.
Beyoncé is a serial dieter
Used to extreme diets, Beyoncé has indeed tried many questionable methods, including the Dukan diet (a high-protein program that is not recommended by health professionals). In her Netflix documentary, you can hear the singer complain about being hungry: "I definitely went further than I thought I could. And if I learned anything, it's this: never again will I push myself so hard."
