I recently was scrolling on my TikTok page, like every other teenager, and I came across a video that made me physically drop my jaw. The video was a picture of a girl’s face with the words “A guy in my class was guessing this girl’s weight and he guessed 125 and she said, ‘I’m not that fat and chubby!’” The girl who made the video wrote, “I weigh 125…” Some people would look at this and scroll past thinking it was just a dumb video, but that’s not how the girls in the comment section feel.
The comment section of this video is full of girls comparing their weights to the number in the video saying things like, “If that’s fat then I’m a hippo.” This video triggered something inside of these girls’ minds– it reminded them that if you don’t look like the ideal “hourglass” body there is a chance someone may talk about your weight. Whether it’s being called too skinny or too fat, the world has normalized the tendency for others to comment on each other’s weight for fun.
Another TikTok trend related to body image insecurities is girls posting using the slides feature (a slideshow of images from the user’s camera roll). The first slide reads a quote that upset the creator: “Omg, I’m actually so fat, lol, I ate so much.” On the next slide, the creator says everything they’ve struggled with because of their body insecurities.
The issue most of these girls are trying to bring to people’s attention is the girls who are saying they’re fat just because they ate more than usual or wear something they haven’t worn in a while. I’m someone who has struggled with body image issues, and it can be frustrating when a girl who is so much skinnier talks down on her body, but you wish you could look like her. Those girls aren’t thinking about how their words could impact those around them, and, as a result, they are making other girls think badly about their weight.
Along with that though, is it acceptable to be upset with these girls for thinking they’re overweight even if they aren’t? It could be a case of body dysmorphia– you aren’t able to tell when someone has that. Someone who could look skinny to you, maybe even your ideal body type, could be struggling with an eating disorder and you have no idea. Most people go through struggles their whole life that others may never recognize.
Terms like “Biggie,” “Fattie,” and “Huge” have been frequently used on social media platforms in the past year. A video or snap may show a friend eating more than they normally do with something like “Bro is huge” as the caption. Okay, so maybe it was just a joke, but does that make it okay? These terms shouldn’t become part of society’s everyday vocabulary.
According to Our World in Data, the number of people being diagnosed with eating disorders has grown enormously, especially from ages 15–20. The number will keep growing as talking about people’s weight and eating habits becomes more popular. When someone eats more than normal think about the possibility that maybe they haven’t been eating recently, maybe after every time they eat they force themselves to puke. Most people would say they know their friend eats, and it’s a joke. But how could you truly know that, do you eat every meal with them? Maybe today was the day they would try eating and everything would be okay. Well, until they saw that post about being “big,” that reminded them exactly why they don’t allow themselves to eat.
Another thing I’ve heard is that if someone dislikes someone or needs a comeback up with a comeback to a fight, they tend to go straight to that person’s weight. Why, though? What does someone’s weight have to do with you and this person’s relationship?
All these comments society as a whole makes about each other’s weight is a common mistake of not thinking about what we’re saying or how it may affect the person we’ve said it to. You may often have a conversation with someone about how something they said to you hurt your feelings, and all they have to say is, “But I didn’t mean it that way.” They may not have meant it that way but that doesn’t make what they said hurt any less. Is it that hard to stop and think for one minute about what you’re saying before you say it?
When I was in third grade, my teacher passed out an acronym to me and a few girls in the class. We were given this sheet because of the problems that kept occurring. We would always come and tell our teacher how we were upset with one another. The solution to this was THINK, T- Is it true, H- Is it helpful, I- Is it important, N- Is it necessary, and K for the most important, is it kind? At the time I thought it was dumb and cheesy, but it’s a valuable way to go about life. Unfortunately, it seems even though we’re older the message may need to be announced again, but this time to the world.
We need to remember the saying “Every Body is Beautiful,” as it seems we as a society have forgotten it. We need to stop thinking about how much everyone weighs and worry more about how much our words affect others. Unless someone is a doctor or seriously concerned about someone’s health, commenting on the amount of food someone’s eating or their weight isn’t necessary.
