‘SkinnyTok’ trend promotes hunger, experts…
A disturbing trend dubbed “SkinnyTok” is racking up tens of millions of views throughout TikTookay, Instagram, Reddit and YouTube, pushing excessive weight loss ways, restrictive eating, and poisonous “discipline” as the trail to happiness — or at the least thinness.
And it’s sending susceptible customers down a harmful spiral, experts and survivors warn.
“I know that if I had seen that [advice] when I was younger, I would have thought I needed it, too,” Phaith Montoya, a body-positive influencer and eating dysfunction survivor instructed TODAY.com.
At first look, TikTookay seems to discourage the trend. Searching “SkinnyTok” prompts a message: “You are more than your weight,” together with hyperlinks to eating dysfunction sources.
But scroll additional and the platform serves up limitless videos selling harmful “motivation”: skip meals, chug espresso to curb starvation, have a good time calorie deficits.
Some slogans learn like parodies of self-harm:
“If your stomach is growling, pretend it’s applauding you.”
“To be small, eat small. To be big, eat big.”
“You don’t need a treat. You’re not a dog.”
It’s triggering main medical pink flags, in keeping with inner medication specialist Dr. Asim Cheema, who flagged the trend to Forbes — together with glorifying hunger and lowering food to a soulless utility.
Experts say it’s a rebrand of early-2000s “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia) communities — now with a Gen Z gloss.
“This mindset dismisses the complex realities of genetics, mental health and socioeconomic factors, promoting shame over support. It’s a toxic narrative disguised as empowerment,” Stephen Buchwald of Manhattan Mental Health, instructed Forbes.
TikTookay’s pointers say the app “does not allow showing or promoting disordered eating and dangerous weight loss behaviors.” And customers can filter out triggering hashtags.
Still, content material that pushes “potentially harmful weight management” can stay — restricted to customers over 18 and faraway from the For You web page.
And this type of shame-fueled tradition isn’t simply ineffective — it’s harmful.
“Seeing curated, unrealistic images of thinness on a daily basis can make people feel like they’re never ‘good enough.’ This creates a cycle of self-criticism and low self-worth, which can escalate into anxiety and depression,” Buchwald stated to Forbes.
He added that teenagers are particularly at risk.
“Adolescents are neurologically wired to seek approval and belonging, which makes them especially vulnerable to trends like ‘SkinnyTok.’”
Despite backlash to fatphobia and diet tradition, “SkinnyTok” proves the skinny ultimate isn’t going wherever.
“SkinnyTok is just another version of something we’ve seen in the past,” stated creator Martha Laham when chatting with TODAY.
“The types of media and how we pursue it may be new, but the thin ideal has always been there.”
“Even if some of the creators have good intentions, they are sometimes giving nutrition advice, which they should not do,” warned Andrea Mathis, dietitian and blogger at Beautiful Eats and Things.
“Maybe it starts one way, but the more you do it with that mindset, it can turn into obsession,” she instructed the location.
And crash weight-reduction plan doesn’t even work, stated Maria AbiHanna, a nutrition professional at Food Label Maker.
“People blame willpower when they can’t stick with a diet. The truth is your body is built to resist rapid fat loss,” AbiHanna stated.
“This is where things start to go into disordered territory,” Edwards-Gayfield instructed TODAY. “It’s time to get help.”
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