If you’ve been one of the many Gen Z’ers spending lots of time on TikTok over quarantine, you’ve probably seen content relating to body image or weight loss.
As of last week, TikTok is hammering down on harmful weight loss ads and attempting to create a more body positive platform that celebrates and accepts all body shapes and sizes.
I think we can all confidently say that social media can have a huge influence on body image, whether we realize it or not. It’s second nature, especially for young girls, to incessantly compare themselves to other women online, which can result in psychological consequences regarding body image and mental health. It seems that reform in ads, promotions and sponsorships is much needed across all social media sites, so props to tik tok for taking action. These new restrictions specific to TikTok will ban fasting ads as well as weight loss supplements with the hopes of eliminating the selling of negative body image and negative relationships with food.
Hopefully other social media apps will follow TikTok’s lead, but we also need to see change with the weight loss industry and how they approach the topic of weight loss and body acceptance. Some believe that TikTok forces many young women to dangerously fixate on their bodies and diets. With a reinforcement of negative body image on an app like TikTok, it seems essential for companies (like TikTok) to take charge and do all they can to eliminate, or at least reduce, growing toxic environments on their platforms. TikTok changing how they promote and the content of their advertisements is a start, but there is definitely a long way to go until this toxic culture is fully eliminated.
Although there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of body representation and acceptance on the internet, it’s important to note that a lot of progress has been made over the past few years. Thinking back to the early years of social media, ads and billboards were still featuring predominantly skinny white women, while advertisers today are integrating a far wider variety of shapes that are more inclusive, including those in the plus size community.
The body positivity movement that has been prevalent on social media pushes for acceptance with the goal of altering people’s behavior and outlook towards products and services that profit from people’s insecurities, such as weight loss products or health services.
Due to this growing desire for body acceptance, it seems it would be a smart marketing move for companies and businesses to embrace this movement and to analyze how and to whom they are really marketing their products. I think it’s safe to say that all companies want to market their products to as many people as possible, so why not have representation that includes all shapes and sizes, producing a more diverse and inclusive environment?
It seems that the groundswell has had enough with these body shaming advertisements and videos. Companies such as TikTok, that are hopping on board and promoting self acceptance, love and positivity, are more likely to be perceived in a positive light and not receive as much criticism compared to apps who aren’t doing anything to reduce negative and toxic content present on their pages.
We also see many content creators on TikTok openly discussing their own struggles with body image and weight, promoting a more inclusive and accepting environment, reducing fat shaming and helping young women feel confident in their own skin.
Hi Deirdre, it is a beautiful blog; I appreciate the step taken by tik tok against body shaming. It is great now that people understand that getting toned and thin is not the only thing to gain confidence. We need to have body positivity and feel confident with our bodies, so social media sites play a significant role in it, and I hope it increases to a broader level.
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