TikTok has recently removed the hashtag #SkinnyTok after European regulators flagged it for promoting unrealistic body ideals and extreme weight loss practices. The platform has been inundated with content featuring young women who appear emaciated, sharing tips for rapid weight loss.
While the hashtag may be gone, the challenge of eliminating harmful content remains. Even now, there are users across TikTok and other social media channels who continue to disseminate unhealthy advice about calorie restriction and achieving dangerously low weights.
Studies indicate that exposure to such content is linked to an increased risk of disordered eating, particularly among young women and girls.
Yet, distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy nutritional advice online can be quite complex.
Brooke Erin Duffy, a researcher at Cornell University, points out that much content exists in what she describes as “gray zones,” complicating regulation. Creators often find clever ways to maneuver around attempts at regulation.
An example includes the popular meme “What I eat in a day,” where users showcase their daily food intake. While some posts promote a balanced diet, others can dangerously mislead. For instance, one video featured a woman whose daily intake consisted of just a single croissant, while another showed a nutritious array totaling around 1,800 calories.
Body-positive counterprogramming
In response, some content creators are actively fighting back. For example, athlete and creator Kate Glavan, with nearly 150,000 followers, emphasizes the risks associated with media that romanticizes undernourishment and shares her personal battle with an eating disorder through her videos.
Glavan warns, “Many creators are openly promoting anorexia. It’s dangerous and based on misinformation,” urging followers to “block these creators.”
Research reveals that anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition.
However, experts argue that body-positive content does not attract the same audiences or profits. Amanda Raffoul, who studies eating disorders and social media at the University of Toronto, notes that negative portrayals—like those of exceedingly thin or muscular individuals—tend to leave a more significant impact than positive representations.
Raffoul highlights that societal messages associating beauty with thinness are pervasive.
She references studies that suggest exposure to body-positive content does not necessarily shield individuals from harmful material promoting unrealistic weight loss or beauty standards.
“The algorithms used by platforms often amplify certain types of messaging, exposing more vulnerable audiences to potentially harmful content,” she adds.
While platforms may not create content themselves, they hold responsibility for how aggressively they promote particular messages, especially to specific demographics.
TikTok declined an interview request for this article but stated that they regularly assess safety measures and have blocked search results for #SkinnyTok, redirecting inquiries to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders.
The platform also mentioned ongoing efforts to restrict videos aimed at teenagers and referring searches to health experts and advocacy groups focused on eating disorder awareness.
A losing battle
Some advocates for body positivity believe the movement is facing significant challenges. Megan Jayne Crabbe, an author, asserts, “With the rise of GLP-1 drugs as quick-weight-loss solutions, we’re seeing a return to a thin-centric narrative.” She notes that societal standards are swinging back towards extreme thinness.
Although Crabbe continues to produce social media content, she feels it’s increasingly difficult to promote messages that normalize larger body sizes compared to previous years. She appreciates the ban on #SkinnyTok but believes more profound discussions about beauty standards are needed. “Banning the hashtag feels like a temporary fix for a much deeper issue,” she reflects, arguing that society remains largely fat-phobic.
Others, like Nyome Nicholas-Williams, a plus-size model, express fatigue with the fight against negative portrayals of eating and body image. She has distanced herself from the term “body positivity,” feeling the movement, originally championed by Black women, has been diluted. “I identify more with ‘body neutrality,'” she explains.
Nicholas-Williams previously confronted Instagram over its inconsistent content moderation policies, which she argued favored slim, white models over Black plus-size creators. The platform ultimately apologized and committed to policy changes.
While Nicholas-Williams acknowledges her activism may have impacted her business, she believes that confronting dangerous messages is crucial. “We need people to speak out and show courage,” she emphasizes.
Raffoul stresses the financial incentives at play. “Every minute spent on these platforms is monetized,” she says, asserting that while eating disorders and unattainable standards aren’t new, social media enhances their reach.
She suggests that real change will likely require legislative action to impose stricter protections against harmful content in these digital spaces.
For now, her advice for individuals? Simply avoid engaging with harmful content.
