The Ukrainian model comes under fire for promoting “breatharianism”

Aug 7, 2014 11:45 GMT  ·  By

More and more girls are looking up to Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova, also known on the internet as “The Human Barbie” for her startling similarity to the plastic doll. She is now coming under fire from concerned parents who see their children imitate the model by taking up dangerous eating disorders.

Valeria has moved from shocking people all over the world with her thin frame and impossible measurements to inspiring others to start starving themselves in order to achieve a look considered to be the feminine ideal in our society.

The model, clearly very much into her altered looks, keeps posting daily photos on her social media which she claims are “thinspiration.” All the while, she insists that the only plastic surgery she's had is her augmented chest, now boasting an impressive 34DD cup. The rest, she claims, is all her.

Taking a look at the photos will reveal that the blond sports a waist so thin that she looks close to breaking in half, but still many teenage girls think she's a perfect role model and have started movements to get similar results.

Lukyanova isn't just thin, she's also convinced that she's from another planet, an alien if you will (her best guess is that she's from Venus) and that she no longer needs food or water to survive. A while ago, she introduced the concept of “breatharianism,” which basically means that she can survive with just air.

There are already several copycats out there who aim to get the same look, like a British woman by the name of Sarah Burge and another from the Ukraine, Alina Kovalevskaya. The trend has gotten so bad that British eating disorder charities are beginning to speak up and point blaming fingers at Lukyanova.

One spokesperson told the Daily Star that “We are all aware of the images surrounding us through the internet and many of them carry messages that are unhealthy, dangerous and just completely unrealistic. Young people need to be made aware of these dangers and adopt a healthy scepticism where these images are concerned.”

Basically, models like Lukyanova achieve this look by starving themselves, which is a clear sign of anorexia. The tabloids links Lukyanova with certain “pro-ana” forums on the internet that have already caused the death of several teenaged girls.

The spokesperson warns that “Pro-ana sites are potentially very dangerous, they promote an eating disorder as though it were a lifestyle choice, and not the serious mental illness that it truly is.”

Meanwhile, Valeria claims that she hasn't eaten for months and that she only survives by absorbing nutrients from the air around her, hence the name of her new movement “breatharianism.” You can draw your own conclusions.