Okay, I’ll admit it, I spend a lot of time thumbing it through Tik Tok’s For You Page (FYP). How could you not? The algorithm is designed to keep you scrolling. I’ve discovered some wonderful things there, like this raccoon who loves his grapes and wants to protect them. There is another side to it, though. One that, at surface value, may appear innocent and fun but harbours a darker, more concerning truth about the problematic ‘body checking’ trend.
What is ‘body checking?’
Communications Lead at the National Eating Disorders Association, Chelsea M. Kronengold, describes body-checking as “observing and taking mental note of what your body shape, weight, appearance or size looks like.”
Don’t get me wrong. I support (and in fact urge) women to celebrate their bodies. Try on that slinky dress, take those cute pics, flaunt what you’ve got! I’m all for body positivity and inclusivity. Sometimes though, a healthy relationship with your body can develop into something more serious when you’re being influenced by the content you consume. When you’ve got the big wide world of Tik Tok at your fingertips, it’s difficult to regulate what you see on the FYP.
Body checking trends dominate everybody’s FYP at some point or another. Sometimes, users directly encourage the body checking trend, like one video that raked up over one million views, created by a user in which she measures and documents the size of her incredibly small waist, using the hashtag #bodycheck. It may seem like nothing at face value, but it’s only a matter of time before a video like this reaches a girl who is insecure about that area of her body.
Speaking from personal experience…
Most Tik Tok users will know the ‘baggy tee’ trend, where girls sport overly baggy clothing before revealing an accentuated area of their body (cue hourglass figures, big bosoms and ‘perfect’ butts). On the one hand, I’m loving that women are taking the opportunity to celebrate and feel good about their bodies. On the other hand, I don’t look like that, and it bothers me when my FYP constantly reminds me of it. Me and millions of other female users on Tik Tok who struggle with self-esteem issues.
Build healthy boundaries against body checking
Despite the viral hashtag #stopbodychecking, people aren’t going to stop posting content that gratifies and makes them feel good about their bodies. Is it their responsibility not to post that sort of content because it may be triggering to others? I don’t know. I don’t think users posting this kind of content are aware of the greater complications of it. They want to be seen and heard, much like any of us do.
It’s up to us to remind ourselves of something very important. There are millions of big, small, tall, short, abled and disabled beautiful bodies out there and yours’ is one of them. If the algorithm is only showing you content that sparks your insecurities, consider taking a break from the platform. If you struggle with self-esteem issues, finding someone you can trust and confide in will help. Many of us women struggle with self esteem (whether we like to admit to or not) and I encourage women to open up about it more. It’s not always easy to don the ‘body positive’ perspective and that’s totally okay.
Feature Image: Unsplash
