TikTok Trends

Social media is so intertwined with body-image that it becomes toxic. Social media has created new standards for everyone. With apps like Photoshop, girls are able to contort their body to look like whatever they want.

This issue originally started with Instagram but recently has taken over the app TikTok. There have been challenges going around the app that, according to many of its users, shame people who don’t have the “perfect body.” Some examples are the “hourglass challenge,” where people would pull their shirts back to see if they have an hourglass figure, or the “chubby cheeks” trend, where people could stretch their face or bodies out with a filter and then turn the filter off and have a “normal” face again. 

While these videos of the trends could be harmless, the reactions of many users have made such trends toxic. Specifically, there was a trend on TikTok where people would post what they eat in a day. Essentially, this was just an enticing way for people to show their recipes. However, the trend quickly turned into people commenting things such as “I am never eating again” or “you are too skinny to be eating that little”.

Overall, TikTok is one of many apps where people can comment on whatever they want, without repercussions. These videos and comments are often harmful to body-image and can cause people to stop eating or eat more to obtain the “perfect body.” 

“Social media is a new avenue for individuals to engage in maladaptive body comparison processes, creating a need for health communication and behavior change interventions that address this issue, especially among vulnerable populations,” said Deanna Puglia, a specialist in media and journalism.