With the app TikTok’s popularity rising exponentially in recent months, it now boasts over 850 million monthly users. Creators on the app gain followers for a variety of reasons, but the most recent of those is for promoting body positivity.
The body-positive movement was created by Connie Sobczak and Elizabeth Scott to promote people loving and taking care of their natural bodies. The news and social media typically showcase unrealistic standards, and this movement pushes to abolish them.
Applications like Facetune are utilized in the social media world to present viewers with an unrealistic edit of photos. Using these tools alters viewers’ ability to see a genuine depiction of the person.
Before the movement became as big as it is now, people posting their natural bodies would be ridiculed for not fitting the “standard”. “In the past body-shaming seemed to be circling the media a lot, and knowing that there is a change is inspiring. It’s beneficial that other viewers are also seeing these videos and hopefully keeping a positive mindset,” Junior Ava Hahn stated.
TikTok is a video app, so editing applications can not be used to alter what viewers are watching. This alone promotes a more realistic portrayal of the user, but some creators take it a step further with their content.
TikTok creator Sienna Mae Gomez has 8 million followers and counting since a video of hers went viral on Aug 15. At only 16 years old, she promotes body positivity to her following composed of fans of all ages.
Another creator, Charli D’amelio, uses her platform similarly. D’amelio has 97.6 million followers and counting. Although she gained her followers with dancing videos, she frequently posts body-positive messages as well. In a Youtube video, she stated that she posts whenever she feels down on herself because other people could be feeling the same way and need reassurance.
PV students have also been positively impacted by this TikTok movement, like senior Lauren Palmer. “I wish more people would normalize not having a skinny waist, small thighs and big hips,” Palmer commented. “All bodies are different.”
High school students are not the only students viewing these messages on TikTok. “Seeing this positivity from creators with such an influence on younger viewers is a great chance to see,” Hahn stated. Because TikTok is not limited to one age group, followers both young and old can embrace the positive messages being spread on the platform.
The body-positive movement is one of many movements happening on social media today. With the help of creators with large followings, the message is promoted to all age groups and is creating a more accepting world for different body types.
