A few months ago, my TikTok feed started to change. Suddenly, it was full of “What I eat in a day” videos, strict workout routines and “How to lose ten pounds before summer.” Overnight, my For You Page became a stream of thin bodies, calorie counts and “clean eating” checklists.
At first, I didn’t think much of it, until I realized how often these videos were rewarded. Likes and comments poured in, praising influencers for their discipline and their bodies. Diet culture, it seemed, hadn’t disappeared; it had simply rebranded itself as “wellness.”
When “wellness” becomes obsession
Today, that “wellness” label disguises behaviors that are anything but healthy. Videos glorifying low-calorie diets and extreme fitness routines normalize restriction and obsession. Many creators appear to be promoting healthy lifestyles, but in reality, they’re perpetuating the same toxic ideals that dominated the 2000s–only this time, they’re hiding behind juice cleanses, high-intensity workouts and “what I eat in a day” videos filled with low-calorie meals.
This cycle is especially harmful for the younger audience on social media platforms whose brains are still developing. This toxic content that is actively pushed out can create a hook in these vulnerable minds and make people think that they need to follow these intense wellness trends that are secretly unhealthy and unattainable.
A case study in toxic influence
One example that stood out to me is TikTok creator Liv Schmidt, whose entire platform revolved around her identity of being skinny. Her videos promoted the ideal of being skinny while going out to eat, going on vacation or just getting through normal day activities. She somehow managed to incorporate being skinny into quite literally everything in her life. It gets to the point where it is just excessive and toxic. While her content gained her more than 670,000 followers, it was also deeply damaging, encouraging restrictive eating and unrealistic ideals for young women. In September, TikTok permanently banned her account due to mental health concerns and repeated violations of the platform’s content guidelines.
I do applaud Tiktok for this removal as her platform contributed greatly to this diet culture surge.
The danger of validation
What’s most unsettling is the encouragement surrounding this content. Likes and comments often applaud influencers for being “skinny,” celebrating physiques that may not be healthy. This kind of praise fuels a culture that teaches young women, many of whom are still developing their sense of self. With this constant praise towards this topic, many young minds develop the idea that skinny = better.
Social media doesn’t just reflect these ideals; it multiplies them. With TikTok’s powerful algorithm, content promoting weight loss, dieting and “discipline” finds its way to users most vulnerable to it. A recent study from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that eating disorders among teens more than doubled between 2018 and 2022, a trend many experts connect directly to the rise of social media.
How the algorithm keeps us trapped
With the effective Tiktok algorithm, the more users engage with body and food related content, the more it is pushed out to them in their feed. As for myself, the more I liked certain videos surrounding this topic, I began to notice my entire feed consumed with these unsettling videos promoting unhealthy ideals.
For individuals already struggling with body image or disordered eating, this can create a self-perpetuating feedback loop. The algorithm profits from our insecurities, reinforcing them one scroll at a time.
These Western, colonial beauty standards of thinness, perfection and control are not only outdated but utterly distorted. The problem isn’t just one influencer or one platform; it’s the entire ecosystem that equates wellness with worth.
Breaking the cycle
There’s more to life than being thin. The first step in breaking this cycle is taking back control of what we consume. Unfollow the accounts that glorify restriction. Diversify your feed with creators who promote balance, confidence and joy. Remember that health isn’t a body type–it’s a mindset rooted in respect and self-care.
For me, that meant deleting TikTok, which helped significantly. My head was quieter and clearer and I stopped obsessing over the small things TikTok consumed my mind with.
Student perspectives
To understand how this content affects others around me, I interviewed Jasmyne Ayala, a second-year student studying speech language and hearing sciences.
“I am constantly seeing [the push of diet culture] on social media, for me it makes me worried about future generations,” Ayala said. “I know that there are so many young people consuming this content and they don’t know any better, they might feel they have to follow these trends and seek validation from others. I think it is very harmful especially towards the younger generation.”
Ayala also reflected on how this content has affected her personally, explaining the negative weight this content holds on herself and the other viewers.
“For me, there is some sort of pressure to follow these diets online,” Ayala said. “Women are pushing these diets and look amazing, but is this sustainable for everyone? No.”
Diet culture never really left — it just found a new platform.
Diet culture is still common, however it often appears on new platforms, so it is important to recognize this issue and simply disconnect from it. Social media influences how we perceive things in larger ways than you might think. Stepping off of platforms like TikTok can have such a positive impact on not only your mood, but also your self-image. You would be surprised at how much better life can be when you are not constantly comparing yourself to others on social media. Most importantly, it is vital to remember that the truest version of “wellness” is not about being thin! It is about feeling whole.
