Tiktok has long been a raising place for viral tendencies, but its last subculture, “Skinnytok”, is reigning the ancient diet culture in a digital age.
Behind fashion filters and sticky sounds is an extremely problematic reality: a community where the thinness is idolized, the deficits of extreme calories are glame and the search for a small body is celebrated, often at the expense of mental and physical health.
The increase in skinnytok
Skinnytok refers to an Internet corner where creators openly document their weight loss trips, publish videos “What and Eat in a Day” with alarmingly low calorie counts and share “body checks” (videos where people weigh and measure).
Some are even “gas light” to be thin, or confess to the daily visits to the gym due to the fear of being “fat”, even when they are already in line with the narrow beauty standards of society.
Tiktok has tried, on the other hand, to set it in this content.
The search for “Skinnytok” triggers a warning: “You are not alone” and asks people to seek help if struggling with body image, food or exercise.
They have banned influential such as LIV Schmidt, who built more than 670,000 monitoring with his “blonde and skinny” person.
However, the algorithm still seems to serve the content he says to protect users.
So what can people do to safeguard -in line?
First, you need to understand what Skinnytok is, as the tendency has achieved so great follow -up and who is at risk.
The personal toll
Jemma Haythorne, trusted coach, speaker and podcaster, knows first -hand the damage that diet online culture can make.
“I started hating my body when I was 12 years old but really begat me in messy eating when I was 16
For Haythorne, the pressure reached the peak during schools, when the perspective of hundreds of Facebook photos led him to live in low calories and avoid water to avoid “swelling”, all the ideas he collected on social media.
“Instagram became a dangerous place also for someone with body image problems and a full -fledged relationship with food,” he says, adding that the increase in fitness influences and “clean food” trends was fuel for their disorderly behaviors.
Its lowest point came between 2017 and 2019. “Social networks told me that everyone was thin, magnificent, tanned, without hairs, toned and successful, because this was what the algorithm served and that they were the people who were platform,” he says.
“The message I received was that I was failing, because no matter how much I tried, I could not meet those standards.”
Haythorne believes that without social networks, he would never have developed eating disorder, depression and anxiety to the point.
The cyclic nature of online trends
She says she has witnessed the ideals of the body to change over the years, from ultra thin, to athletic and toned, to the “Kardashian” watchmaker, and now she is back in “premium”.
Despite the rise of the positivity body movement, it is skeptical of its impact on the real world: “The ideal of the body has always been again in a smaller body, which I hope desperately I can change in the future.”
The influence effect
Haythorne argues that influential and content creators play a massive role in shaping the perceptions of body image.
“Those who publish content that foster unhealthy relationships with food and bodies directly harm their audience. The content of Skinnytok is incredibly problematic and harmful, and when this is fashionable, it becomes dangerous, especially for those who do not have the knowledge and understanding of how harmful.”
But damage is not always obvious. The seemingly innocious photos “before and after” reinforce the idea that is best, while food -inspired videos suggest that copying someone’s diet will produce the same body.
“Any form of editing bodies or faces causes people to think they need to be up to date to look like being beautiful or worthy, but the person himself does not even seem like that,” he says.
He claims that while platforms like Tiktok and Instagram have a responsibility to manage the damage they promote, individual influential must also be aware of their impact.
The psychological impact
Psychologist Carly Dount confirms that Skinnytok can trigger and aggravate disorderly food behaviors and eating disorders.
“These trends influence the way people perceive and evaluate their own bodies, and the bodies of others. Behavior, people can self-authorize, which can also affect their work, education and relationships,” he says.
Beyond the psychological impact, the physical consequences are also disastrous.
Eating disorders can harm the heart, digestive system, bones, teeth and mouth.
The typical serious side effects include low blood pressure, slow or irregular heartbeat, being tired, weak, dizziness or weakness, constipation and swelling, irregular periods and weak bones.
Who is more at risk?
According to DOER, some groups are especially vulnerable to the dangers of Skinnytok. These include:
– Teenagers (especially 12 to 25 years old) with an average age of 18
– Women during key transition periods (eg The final school)
– Women with polycystic ovary syndrome or diabetes
-Thelets and those in appearance -focused activities such as dancing
– People with a family background of eating disorders
– Anyone looking for help for weight loss or who has been dedicated to diet or disorderly food
The role of Tiktok’s culture
Qualified nutritionist Yaz Jackson sees Skinnytok as part of a broader tendency to “normalize” harmful behaviors in Tiktok.
She states that Tiktok’s culture is different from Instagram: “You can” move away “with more. It is more than a newspaper, people feel like they can say whatever it is, and it is carefree and no one judges.
Jackson believes that there is a tendency of radical honesty that appears in Tiktok, where creators are praised for sharing “tea”: the secrets of their appearance, be it the use of medicines, diets or cosmetic surgery.
Its content is favored, as people applaud them to be “real” and “not false”, that is, unlike the innumerable models and celebrities that seek to eat pizza and burgers when the reality is very different.
“This tendency wins traction because when people do enough do something good to talk again, they feel more secure,” he said.
“Now stigmatized things are accepted, but only if you are very honest and transparent. People love this.”
The dangers of unskilled advice
Dr. Zac, a GP, urges people to be careful when looking for online health tips, especially when it comes from unskilled creators.
“Health councils should come from qualified professionals: doctors, registered dietitians, clinical psychologists – people with real credentials, not just abdominal and ring light. If anyone offers a drastic weight loss or pirates,” or they drive extreme transformations, especially if they benefit, they are not worried. “
The things to keep in mind include: “Are they citing evidence -based sources? They promote balance on the extremes? Are they promoting sustainable health, or fast solutions and aesthetic perfection?”
How to safeguard your mental health
DOGER and ZAC recommend various strategies to protect you online:
You will heal your feed: block or mutate content and creators who promote unhealthy behaviors
Use the tools on the platform: Filter the keywords triggering whenever possible
Limit screen time: Reduces endless scrolling to prevent algorithm rabbit holes
Follow the positive stories: such as those who promote body neutrality, mental health and self -compathy
Find support: If you have trouble, please contact a psychologist or trusted professional.
And as Zac says: “healing begins when we stop punishing -we start listening to what our body and mind really need.”
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Image Source : nypost.com