The recent death of Turkish celebrity influencer Nihal Candan due to anorexia nervosa, has sparked alarm among experts and a social debate about the negative consequences of overexposure to social media, social pressure and the influence that unrealistic beauty standards can have, especially on women.
Candan, who rose to fame after a television contest but lately was imprisoned on charges of fraud and money laundering, died on Friday 20 June in the intensive care unit of the hospital where she had been admitted after being diagnosed in prison with anorexia nervosa, which had led her to a drastic weight loss, seriously worsening her health. Doctors could do nothing to save her life, and she died in the hospital after her heart stopped for the second time during treatment.
Turkish news agencies reported that the 30-year-old woman’s weight had dropped to just 23 kilos at the time of her death. Following Turkish religious customs, the influencer was buried the following day after a Muslim ceremony held at the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha Mosque in the Levent district of northern Istanbul, attended by family and friends, who could not hold back tears during the funeral.
What is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by an extreme fear of weight gain and a refusal to eat, to the point of starvation. It is a psychological disorder that affects both the mind and the body and is particularly prevalent in young women, who show symptoms such as not eating and also sleeping just a few hours , as well as a very active lifestyle.
Patients may have an obsessive fear of becoming fat or even see themselves as overweight – even though they are actually extremely thin– so they tend to eat very little or even stop eating altogether. If not detected and treated in time, this behaviour is beyond the control of the individual, whose physical and mental health suffers from the severe consequences of lack of food and sleep until, finally, they die.
Experts warn against overexposure to social networks
Following the sad death of this well-known influencer, several experts have warned of the worrying increase in eating disorders due to the distorted body image promoted on social networks. This is the case of psychiatrist Taha Can Tuman, who in statements to the Turkish press stressed that publications on social networks such as Instagram or TikTok “promote unrealistic ideals of beauty through filtered and retouched images with Photoshop, models who try to look like dolls and the film industry”, and that they influence the concept of beauty among the most vulnerable sectors of society.
Sociologist Barış Erdoğan emphasised how Nihal Candan’s death is an example of the enormous social pressure on many women to fit into the beauty standards imposed by society and especially by social media: “Those who meet the ideals of beauty get social and even economic rewards, while the rest are excluded. This turns physical appearance into a form of capital, and at the same time fuels collective anxiety and health problems,” warned the Turkish expert.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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