The health risks of reading the Daily Mail

Britain's shittiest tabloid is worried about young people's obsession with their bodies. Could it be that they have anything to do with it?

The Daily Mail cares deeply about the fabric of our society.

Amongst other things, they're concerned about young people's relationship with weight. In fact, "Teens 'inherit' weight worries", the Mail wrote not long ago, announcing that "[teenagers] are more worried than ever about their body shape".

The Daily Mail also revealed that "Half of all teenage girls diet" and, last year, the paper criticised what has become "[A] nation of weight worriers". The article, by DAILY MAIL REPORTER, started like this: "Bombarded with images of size zero models and a barrage of diet adverts on TV, it's difficult to escape the UK's obsession with weight".

A worrying obsession indeed. But, hang on a minute. Who is to blame?

Last year, the Daily Mail had no doubt: "Magazines and papers hee-haw gleefully over glimpses of cellulite in beach shots, airbrush women into plastic dolls and wonder with vilely insincere concern whether X or Y has either 'let herself go' or is 'dangerously thin'", wrote Susan Orbach, very matter-of-fact.

And she's right. Because, in the last four weeks alone, the very same paper that printed Orbach's words, that is the Daily Mail, has published the following stuff (and this is just a very small selection):

"Cameron Diaz shows her enviable figure in sexy cutaway swimsuit".

"I just don't eat as much", Charlotte Church flaunts her slim new figure.

"Skinny people can taste fat in food better than their overweight counterparts", complete with a picture of an overweight person slouching on a sofa while guzzling crisps.

"Forest Whitaker shows off dramatic weight loss", and in case you didn't know "his shrinking physique was the main topic of conversation yet again as he attended the premiere of his new film in New York on Tuesday night".

"My friends were shocked at my weight gain and my parents didn't recognise me" - a blatant product placement dressed as health news for a famous 'weight loss' brand.

"Jennifer Love Hewitt parades her trim figure", complete with photos from the time she "was widely criticised for her weight gain [...] in 2007".

"Claire Sweeney drops two dress sizes and loses a stone after seven-week fitness drive". She "got her confidence back", the reader is informed.

"How we dropped 20 stone. Diet secrets of the women who had everything to lose".

"Size 6 former Vogue cover girl claims she's been rejected for being too fat".

"Big girl in a skinny world: forget muffin tops. On me we're talking volcanic eruption".: an article centered around the live-or-die question: "Can big women wear skinny jeans?".

So here's what you have to do if you don't want to lumber yourself with issues of weight and body image: just AVOID THE DAILY MAIL. Like the plague.