The secret’s out on Hollywood’s latest dehydration fad, a very unhealthy approach to celebrities staying thin and prepping for shirtless scenes. Various actors and influencers are sharing how they forego drinking water, especially when they know they’ll be in a swimsuit or have shirtless scenes during filming. What’s even worse than this celebrity dehydration technique is that they’re promoting it. Young people already struggle enough with body image and attempting various diets or unhealthy behaviors.
It’s very disheartening to see celebrities pushing dehydration as a way to look skinny quickly. It’s not safe to stop drinking water, and it’s not good to abandon one of your body’s basic needs just so your abs will be popping. This unhealthy movement is right up there with having skinny influencers advertise for Ozempic and other similar medications. It certainly is not the lifestyle to promote to impressionable minds, especially when young people are already abusing medications such as MiraLAX to lose weight before spring break. These kinds of practices dehydrate and deregulate the body’s natural processes. Not to mention, it can hinder your metabolism and cause your body to store excess water as a defense mechanism when you do resume hydrating.
It’s such 90s behavior to deprive your body of its basic needs, and we need to lean into the new, healthier motives of the 21st century in caring for and embracing our bodies. There are natural, healthy ways to lose weight and set yourself up for new successes if you desire an altered figure, but it’s so important to listen to your body and hydrate it to take care of it.
Tori Spelling recently shared in her podcast, Misspelling, that she solely consumes sodas and wine. She shares that depending on the day, she’ll reach for a Diet Dr. Pepper or a Ginger Ale. She proudly joked about her lack of water intake and said her dislike of drinking water has remained with her since childhood.
“How I’m still living, nobody knows”
– Tori Spelling on her Misspelling Podcast
Spelling also suggests that she may have built up a resistance to water and explains it to people as though she has an allergy to water. Perhaps she doesn’t realize how unhealthy this behavior is to promote to listeners but what she thinks might “work” for her for now is not the same case for everyone. Dehydration can be dangerous and also expensive when it reaches hospitalization levels. Dehydration can cause dizziness, brain fog, and possible seizures if taken to extremes.
People should consume at least 8 glasses of water a day, as everyone is taught in elementary school. On average, women’s bodies also require more daily water intake than men, and even more so when pregnant or breastfeeding. Granting the human body water can help fight off illnesses, infections, and get rid of toxins making it very important to replenish your fluids. While drinking flavored water or sparkling water is certainly better than nothing, it’s a good idea to strive to drink regular bottled or tap water to reach your daily requirement for best results in your health and long-term body goals if you’re trying to lose weight. This misinformation about dehydration efforts to achieve a certain look can actually throw your goals and your health off track.
Actors such as Hugh Jackman and Chris Hemsworth have even shared how they eliminate water intake 36-72 hours before filming shirtless scenes, to accentuate muscles and achieve the look desired for their character. At least Jackman warned people while sharing his dehydration regimen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying “don’t do this at home,” but it still sets unrealistic expectations for bodies. Celebrities such as Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Selena Gomez have even been hospitalized for dehydration or exhaustion before, illustrating how much celebrities are pressured to push themselves far past points that are healthy.
Celebrities hold public attention and have fans who look up to them, who might attempt these practices while not in a controlled environment with medical professionals nearby. It’s certainly worrisome to see this trend surfacing and the heightened interest in it. Good health and well-being are not worth the risk of what a small fraction of people find aesthetically pleasing.
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