A social media influencer who was trying to lose more than half her body weight as an inspiration to her followers, has reportedly died Saturday while attending an intensive weight-loss boot camp in China.
The 21-year-old’s family confirmed her passing in a post on her Douyin page, the Chinese version of TikTok, as reported by the New York Post.
The death of the influencer, who posted on social media under the name Cuihua, has prompted Chinese state media to warn citizens over the safety risks involved in weight-loss camps and renewed concerns over the pressures women are under to conform to beauty standards set by social media.
The cause of death is yet unclear, however, the woman had reported to the hospital because she felt unwell after exercising, her parents wrote on Douyin.
Cuihua had been documenting her weight-loss journey to her tens of thousands of followers on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, in a bid to encourage them in their own fights against obesity.
She had recently posted several videos of herself undergoing intensive training exercises and shared that she weighed 156 kilograms (344 pounds) and was trying to lose 100 kilograms.
Videos posted on the account showed her running and weight-lifting and they were shared heavily on Chinese social media.
Her videos also appeared in various state media outlets following her death.
China National Radio reported that Cuihua – identified by her family name of Zhou had joined several weight-loss camps in various cities in a bid to reach her goal and had lost more than 27 kilograms (60 pounds) in the two months leading up to her death.
CNR said Cuihua had attended her final camp in Shaanxi province just two days before her death.
While that camp promoted ‘nutritious meals, rest and healthy exercise,’ they said she had chosen to limit her diet while also undergoing intense exercise.
Videos of Cuihua training have since been removed from the account and pictures deleted.
State media outlets said that the influencer’s family had received ‘compensation’ from the weight loss camp in Shaanxi, but did not say how much.
Local authorities have said they are investigating the death and whether the weight loss camp was conducting excessive or improper training.
