History of Tapeworm Diet
Did people actually swallow Tapeworms to lose weight?
4.1 (22)
55 mins
Explore the bizarre weight-loss trend that convinced people to swallow parasites in the pursuit of beauty. Discover how one of history's most disturbing diet fads left behind a legacy of illness, deception, and medical horror.
Ep 1:
Swallowing the Worm: Victorian Beauty's Darkest Secret
Trace diet culture's grotesque origins to Victorian England, where consumption chic, moral panic over female appetite, and patent medicine hucksters convinced women to swallow live tapeworms for a smaller waist.
Ep 2:
From Corsets to Cocaine Chic: A Century of Starvation
From flapper calorie-counting and cigarette diets to Hollywood starvation and heroin chic runways, discover how each generation reinvented the same deadly quest for female disappearance.
Discussions (5)
Jay
Level 6 · 2 mo agoAnorexia nervosa having the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder checks out, that stat is well documented
Anna
Level 7 · 2 mo agoBarbara La Marr dying at under 80 pounds at 29 is documented. Pulmonary TB plus nephritis plus extreme dieting. The tapeworm rumor was never confirmed though.
Irene
Level 10 · 2 mo agoSo we went from 'swallow a worm' to 'drink this detox tea' and somehow the tea version has MORE celebrity endorsements. Progress!
