Opinion Piece – Beyonce’s Absurdly Strict Coachella Diet in new Netflix Doc

Queen Bey’s epic 2018 Coachella performance remains unforgettable and her newly released Netflix documentary ‘Homecoming’ gives us a first hand view into the relentless process it takes to remain the Queen of the Hive. Having pulled out the year before due to a surprise pregnancy, Beyonce had 11 months to whip herself back into shape postpartum via what many are calling restrictive and ‘ questionable means’ .

On top of early morning spinning classes, 15 hour rehearsals and ‘the steps’ every day Mrs Carter revealed to have ate ‘no carbs, no bread, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol’, which led her to confess ‘I’m hungry!’. This statement left us shocked, and asking how she survived on pure ‘fruit, will and determination’ ?

When watching I’d warn certain individuals to rear on the side of caution. Although some have argued that Beyonce was attempting to advertise her

22-Days Nutrition Greenprint Project, that encourages fans to live by a vegan meal plan in order to win free concert tickets I believe her diet presents itself much narrower than primarily plant based. Nutritionist and social influencer Keri Gans responded to the film tweeting that ‘one does not need to be on a restrictive diet in order to maintain a healthy body weight’. Whilst many fans have adopted the attitude that this rigorous diet and exercise was necessary I hold that such a limited lifestyle could lead many to dangerous territory.

Gans begged that celebrities stop flaunting ‘the message of restriction in order to lose weight ’ because it’s a story ‘ far too familiar’ that unsuspecting fans may attempt to emulate.

Between the beginning of the millenium statistics show a 15% rise of diagnosed eating disorders, now affecting approximately 70 million people worldwide. With the presence of instagram, projecting an unattainable body image to the young minds of the next generation we must recognise, now more so than ever, the importance of promoting healthy ways of living. Big name musicians hold a great sense of responsibility as they influence globally and should utilise this as carefully as possible. Beyonce disclosed to have ‘learnt a very valuable lesson. I will never push my body that far again’, and we believe neither should anybody else.