What to Know
To those of us who enjoyed the body positivity movement of the past 10 years or so, we had a good ride. But now, in a sea of celebrities who are purposely losing weight at an alarming rate and influencers who are following suit, the idea of celebrating all kinds of bodies seems to be over. According to one influencer on TikTok, the “skinny culture” that is now ramping up has everything to do with transforming bodies into shapeless forms that are perfect for predatory men.
If it sounds icky, that’s because it absolutely is. The influencer says in her video that women who are losing an unhealthy amount of weight are giving in to a stereotype that is catering to a type of man who “prefers a girl with a prepubescent body.” It can’t get much more nauseating than that, when you look at it from that sort of lens.
@n3onqueen Not feeling well 😷 The weight loss trend is out of control
♬ original sound – DB
The “skinny culture” of today is giving early 2000s and not in a good way.
The influencer explains in her video that if women want to lose weight, this message isn’t to deter them from that. If they are trying to live a healthier lifestyle and that includes losing weight, then it may be medically necessary, per their doctors’ advice. But doing it this way, where others can see a dangerous amount of weight and a loss of an adult feminine shape, is dangerous in a different way.
“Every day I see another celebrity or a woman in real life or on the internet, who has lost an exorbitant amount of weight to the point that they have no breasts, no hips or a–,” she says in her video. “And please know that if you want to lose this weight, that is on you. But if you’re only losing this amount of weight to fit in, please know that you are only fitting into the stereotypical body type and preference of a [pedophile] who prefers a girl with a prepubescent body.”
Let that sink in for a moment. As it stands, the qualities of this body type take away any possibly womanly shape an adult woman might have. In turn, it caters to what predators might be looking for, and this stereotypically and so-called ideal body becomes something that is part of the creepy male gaze in the worst way.
Someone commented on the TikTok to say, “They want us weak and hungry.”
“We’re also seeing examples in real time that the beauty standard is DEEPLY rooted in [pedophilia],” someone else wrote in the comments. While some commented to say that this take is a little “extreme,” others do see her vision in an ideal body type.
“Yeah girl, diet culture is aggressive again,” another user commented. “I remember this cycle in the early 2000s. They spoke about toxic diet culture then as well. It’s a cycle at this point.”
A lot of celebrities have lost an extreme amount of weight in recent years.
Just like the skinny culture of the early 2000s, when starlets began to lose weight swiftly and show off unhealthy body images, celebrities have taken the reins this time around too. Kelly Osbourne continuously makes headlines over fan concern about her weight loss. Meghan Trainor, whose song “All About That Bass” literally sings about curvier body types, has been criticized by fans for her own seemingly overnight weight loss.
Maybe that’s where influencers and normies have taken a cue to go on their own journeys to lose dangerous amounts of weight. But, besides being potentially unhealthy in the long run, per this influencer, it could result in a body type that predators are specifically looking for.
