The weight-loss journey of a Chinese film star who shed an astonishing 50 kilograms in a year has captivated the internet in China.
Jia Ling unveiled her remarkable transformation in her latest film You Only Live Once (YOLO).
It’s been a hit in China, and in less than a month has made more than $726 million at the box office.
YOLO opens in Australia on Thursday.
Jia said her film is more about “self-love” than “body transformation”.
However, many have questioned whether the film, which is meant to be uplifting, has exposed audiences to another round of content that could drive body-image anxiety.
The buzz around the film and Jia’s transformation was fuelled by her year-long absence from the public eye.
She had vanished to dedicate herself to a program of intense strength training.
Video clips showcasing Jia’s work-out routine, featuring body-weight training that she calls animal flow, and her deadlifting 120kg, have gone viral.
The (translated) tag #Jia Ling losing 50kgs has received more than 800 million views on Weibo.
On Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, short videos of people talking about her weight loss have been viewed more than 1 million times.
Her year of low-carb, high-protein, intermittent dieting, combined with her intense training led to her dropping from 105kg to 55kg.
She’s inspired people across China.
Since the movie’s premiere in early February, interest in gym memberships and personal trainers has surged across China, according to local reports.
Adapted from the award-winning Japanese movie 100 Yen Love, YOLO’s main character is Du Leying.
She is an obese woman who hits rock bottom then falls in love with boxing and achieves her dream of getting in shape.
Despite Jia’s insistence that the message is “you win as long as you spare no efforts”, it is her weight loss that caught the eye of the public.
With the controversy surrounding the movie, a documentary recording Jia’s year of weight loss, due to be screened across China last week, was cancelled without explanation.
Wang Pan, an expert on China’s gender issues at the University of New South Wales, has suggested the feminist impact of the movie is immense.
Since the premiere of the movie, more young women are taking up boxing, which is traditionally a male sport, Dr Wang said.
More women are also reportedly taking up strength training.
“So many young women are anxious about their bodies, unhappy with their weight and appearance, resulting in a lack of self-confidence,” she said.
“These women are desperate for a change and want to be redefined.
“YOLO addresses their inner complaints, and motivates them to change themselves.”
In China, “pale skin, skinny body and youthful looking face” are still seen as traditional beauty standards.
As YOLO continues to lead the box office, people across China have been posting weight-loss goals as their New Year resolution on social media.
Experts have warned that despite the inspirational message the film intended to convey, the social impact has not been completely positive.
YOLO has been criticised for overstressing the link between weight loss and self-achievement.
“While we were in the cinema, my mother was criticising me for not working hard enough [to lose weight] while praising how great Jia’s achievement was,” a woman wrote on Chinese social media platform Red.
Li Yawen, a professor of social work at California State University San Bernardino, said a movie like YOLO could worsen peoples’ perceptions of their weight.
“Potentially [it’s] leading to more young women believing they are overweight, experiencing low self-esteem, or engaging in unhealthy weight loss behaviours,” Dr Li said.
Dr Li has studied the body-image perception of female Chinese university students.
She found that about 70 per cent of participants who considered themselves overweight didn’t meet the World Health Organization’s criteria.
“Chinese young women often have a tendency to misperceive their weight, viewing themselves as heavier than their actual weight,” she said.
The discussion around the film also has the potential to promote unrealistic weight loss goals, which is not feasible or healthy for most, Dr Li added.
“Many weight-control programs have limited long-term effectiveness, with individuals often regaining their original weight — or even more after 12 months,” she said.
“Setting unrealistic goals, combined with the likelihood of weight regain over the long term, can lead individuals to blame themselves for perceived shortcomings in determination, effective behaviour regulation, or personal control.”
Dr Li and others have concerns about the often unhealthy strategies used to lose weight.
Many netizens have questioned whether Jia’s efforts were helped by the use of Ozempic — a drug for diabetics that has become incredibly popular for weight loss.
Sydney-based dietitian and diabetes educator Lisa Chen told the ABC weight-loss medication may have side effects, including “diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, low mood, or even poor sleep”.
“The impressive weight-loss results have led people to discuss how she achieved the amazing results,” Ms Chen said.
Unhealthy weight-loss plans can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, eating disorders — even suicidal thoughts, Ms Chen warned.
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