From the same company that brought you Flat Tummy Tea (AKA glorified laxative) comes a “must have product”, Flat Tummy Lollipops. If you’ve been on the internet at all in the past few weeks you’ve probably see them, as they’ve already been endorsed by a plethora of Instagram models and Kim Kardashian herself.

Though the active ingredient, Satiereal is “clinically proven and safe”, the lollipops in conjunction with the entire culture are very harmful. These lollipops act as an appetite suppressant, meant to curb any cravings, essentially decreasing the amount of food one consumed. This is a problem in itself, it prompts the idea that the way to get a “good,” idolized body is to eat less. The best body one can have doesn’t rely on its weight or size, but it’s health, which these lollipops do not care about.

The company itself does not provide any real scientific evidence, but past studies show that Satiereal “might” assist weight loss, and it’s hard to say whether these studies are reliable due to small sample sizes. It’s more likely that the lollipop curbs cravings with placebo, or by offering a distraction so that the subject forgets their hunger rather than filling it. Cravings can be unhealthy, but many times they are just your body telling you that it needs fuel, whether that be a general desire for energy or a more specific one for certain nutrients.

Essentially, as long as you aren’t filling yourself with junk, cravings aren’t bad and don’t have to be ignored. A much wiser alternative to ordering gimmicky lollipops online is going to your local grocery store and grabbing a bag of nuts or fruit, which should garner the same result but while actually benefiting your body.

The women promoting these candies are already viewed by society as physically ideal, flaunting hourglass figures and sponsored smiles. Their extreme amounts of followers largely consist of impressionable young figures that are already comparing themselves to the internet’s unattainable figures. They see tiny waists and sculpted chests, clear skin and wide hips, and put themselves down for not being a mirror image. What they do not see is the hours of editing, personal training, and hair and makeup that make up every perfect picture.

Even those that usually feel secure in their body can be swayed when the people they look up to post rave reviews boasting about miracle products that keep them skinny. When they pose next to lollipops and preach an easy way to lose weight, it’s easy for people to believe that all it takes is a box of candy to bring them steps closer to this “goal”.

In reality, these celebrities are getting paid anywhere from $3,000 to $250,000, depending on their reach, and it’s likely they don’t even use the products they advertise. Social media already negatively affects much of today’s youth with its constant stream of false superiority, and it is irresponsible and unhealthy for brands like this to be so prevalent.