Valeria Levitin, hailing from Russia and currently residing in Monaco, sheds light on a distressing phenomenon: receiving admiration from young girls aspiring to mirror her skeletal figure.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, the 39-year-old reveals, “I’ve been receiving emails from young girls who wish to learn how to emulate my physique. The letters predominantly come from women in their twenties who view me as some form of inspiration.”
In a bold response, Valeria addresses her condition and actively advocates against the perils of anorexia. Firm in her stance, she refuses to provide guidance on a path she deems perilous for young girls, leading them towards self-destruction.
Valeria, who grappled with an eating disorder since her adolescence, has chosen to openly discuss the profound impact of the illness on her life. Motivated by a desire to share her journey, she aims to dissuade others from succumbing to a similar fate. Valeria Levitin underscores that anorexia has left her feeling “isolated, unappealing, and rejected by those around me.”
Her journey traces back to her mother’s concerns about Valeria potentially developing obesity, a fear rooted in the family’s history. This fear prompted dietary restrictions even during Valeria’s early childhood.
Valeria’s mother, driven by an unwavering pursuit of perfection, vigilantly monitored her daughter’s weight to prevent any increases. At the age of 16, weighing 10st, Valeria moved to Chicago with her parents. Eager to assimilate into a new school environment, she believed shedding pounds would secure acceptance and popularity.
In her quest for acceptance, she intensified her dietary restrictions, eliminating sugar and carbohydrates from her meals. Ironically, after abstaining from certain foods for an extended period, Valeria’s body became intolerant to them, making them difficult to process. A hurtful comment about her figure from a classmate further fueled Valeria’s determination to lose weight.
Recalling a painful incident, she shares, “During a football game, a man said, ‘I know how we can win. We need to put Valeria’s big ar*e in the goal.’ It shattered my whole world.”
By the age of 23, Valeria’s dress size plummeted from a healthy size 12 to a petite size 6. The need to avoid certain foods persists due to their adverse effects on her body. Her prolonged abstinence from bread has erased its taste from her memory.
Her affliction has cast a shadow of loneliness over her life. Unattached for ten years, the world’s thinnest woman finds relationships challenging, unable to partake in typical couple activities like dining out.