Illustration by Jaime Hebel

Editor’s Note: This article contains discussion of eating disorders and contains sensitive language regarding negative body image. Resources and helplines can be found at the bottom of the piece.

The past two years have been characterized by an overwhelming return of the early 2000s — it’s impossible to go outside or online without seeing low-rise jeans, flared pants, and baby tees. Fashion trends appear and disappear in cycles, and since 2020, the most fashion-forward have brought 90s, 2000s, and even 2010s trends back into the forefront. Exactly ten years since the iconic year 2014, Tumblr aesthetic is making its way back into the mainstream. However, with the recycling of these quintessential fashion trends, I can’t help but also notice another, more sinister trend returning under the guise of fashion: body negativity. 

Since the beginning of time, women’s bodies have been objectified and idealized, forced to fit a certain standard of beauty. These standards are often cyclical, following similar patterns to those of popular clothing. In this way, female bodies have gone through trends, as the definition of a “perfect” woman has changed nearly every century throughout history and every decade since the 1900s. 

The 90s were characterized by “heroin chic,” referring to the sickly, skinny look of supermodels who often abused the drug. In the early 2000s, women were expected to be skinny to look good in low-rise jeans and crop tops that showed off their midriffs. Finally, in the late 2010s, we saw many influencers, such as the Kardashians, celebrating curves (as long as you still had a flat stomach). 

In the 2020s, although we claim to be celebrating body positivity in most social media circles, the dangerous standards set from the 90s to early 2010s have been making a comeback. Recent body trends popularized via social media, especially TikTok, are continuations of harmful trends from past decades. 

An example of a “new” body trend is the term “legging legs,” referring to thin legs that are “perfect” for wearing leggings. This is almost a carbon copy of the 2010s’ idealized thigh gap, in which someone has a space between their thighs while standing with their legs together. When I first encountered a video about legging legs, I laughed it off, thinking it was a joke that would soon be lost to the ever-changing TikTok algorithm. However, soon my feed was filled with videos like the first, proving that this trend was here to stay. 

And it didn’t stop there. Many accounts offer damaging fitness and dieting tips disguised as health advice. Some post frequent “What I Eat In A Day” videos. Other accounts even show blatant fatphobia and promote food restriction and intense exercise. One such user, (@kingkrabbypatty) posted a TikTok saying, “I said, ‘I don’t think I wanna run today,’” and then telling herself, “‘Well, I think [I] look like a pig! Oink, oink, bitch.”’ This user has over 200,000 followers, and her comment section is filled with affirming comments, such as “I needed to hear this.” 

As I fell deeper into the rabbit hole, I began to discover accounts with “wl” in the bio, signifying they were weight-loss accounts. These accounts list their goal weights, and their videos include advice on how to eat less, rewards for reaching certain weights, “motivational” quotes, and photos of celebrities or influencers who have their “goal body”. They also frequently feature “body checking,” which involves showing off sought-after aspects of one’s physical appearance, such as a small waist or flat stomach.

All of these “ED” (eating disorder) TikTok accounts are near-exact copies of “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia) Tumblr accounts on the once-popular social media site in the early 2010s. These accounts featured unhealthy weight-loss tips and included dangerous rhetoric that glorified eating disorders. Finally, they posted “thinspo,” short for “thin inspiration” — content which is remarkably similar to TikTok’s body checking. 

The only real difference between Tumblr-era eating disorder content and the recent advent of ED TikTok is the fact that TikTok has over 1 billion users, making it one of the most popular social media sites ever. This means that the harmful accounts are more accessible than ever to children and young adults, who both make up the majority of users and are the most susceptible to developing eating disorders from watching these videos. Furthermore, due to how the TikTok algorithm works, interacting with accounts like these will cause more and more similar videos to appear on the For You Page, the main feed for users scrolling through the app. 

What could start with a seemingly harmless video about dieting or fitness inspiration could lead to someone experiencing body dysmorphia, or even developing an eating disorder. Over 28 million Americans have experienced an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime, and college students have an increased risk of developing one due to high-stress environments. At Washington University, for example, I have heard fellow students bragging about skipping meals or talking about how to avoid the “Freshman 15.” In some cases, students are so anxious due to school and social factors that they physically cannot eat, or see food restriction as a method of gaining back some control over their lives. 

Whatever the origin, disordered eating or eating disorders are extremely dangerous and need to be taken more seriously. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness because the act of restricting food causes the body to physically shut down — effectively eating itself from the inside. Such a disease should not be romanticized or belittled, and the way it is promoted on social media does exactly this. 

The root of this problem always comes down to the unattainable ideal of what a body should look like — no matter if that means heroin chic, thigh gap, “slim-thick,” legging legs, flat tummy…the list goes on and on. 

As long as our bodies continue to be subject to trending beauty standards, eating disorders will continue to be a deadly issue. The solution should be simple, right? Stop treating our bodies as a fad, as something that can be changed as easily as the shift to low-rise jeans. 

Obviously, this is easier said than done. But it starts with the way we interact with these harmful social media accounts. TikTokers are only as influential as the number of views they get, and reporting potentially damaging behaviors can reduce the traffic on the video. The “Not Interested” option exists for a reason! 

While younger generations may be among the most at risk for developing a severe eating disorder, we also happen to be the most prominent users of social media platforms. For the sake of the next generation of young children who may be watching those videos and developing unhealthy views of their bodies, I hope that we can revive the body positivity movement — more authentically and permanently this time. 

Editor’s Note: The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) provides support for individuals and families affected by eating disorders through their toll-free, confidential hotline. It can be reached at 1-800-931-2237, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Standard Time and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For 24/7 assistance, text ‘NEDA’ to 741741.