TikTok has banned the hashtag #SkinnyTok after public outrage and warnings that it was promoting unrealistic body standards, eating disorders and extreme weight loss. It’s not the first time content like this has been blocked by the platform. In September, influencer Liv Schmidt, who built her platform on the outward pursuit of thinness, growing a following of 670,000, was banned. “Basic fit because the accessory is being blonde & skinny,” she captioned one outfit video on Instagram, where she now has over 320,000 followers. “Please don’t ask me how I’m so skinny if you’re not ready for the answers,” she wrote over another. #SkinnyTok’s content is eerily similar to the thinspo – or, inspiration on how to be skinnier – that dominated social media platforms like Tumblr in the 2010s. Though Tumblr, Instagram and Pinterest banned #thinspo in 2012, it didn’t stop these communities from populating the sites. Even with the ban of #SkinnyTok, removing harmful content may be an uphill battle. Content creators like Schmidt have paved the way for the “skinny influencer,” and mental health experts have cautioned that this represents a larger shift in how Americans are discussing thinness. “We’re almost seeing a return to the outward profession of the desire
Read More