About

SkinnyTok is a nickname and slang term given to TikTok videos that are largely collected under hashtags like "#SkinnyTok" and "#skinny" in which users promote thinness, dieting and portray being skinny as desirable. SkinnyTok videos have been criticized for promoting eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, as well as fatphobia in general, with content creators who play into SkinnyTok also garnering criticism from some online. In April 2025, SkinnyTok garnered increased online attention following reports that France’s minister for digital media reported the hashtag to the EU to investigate whether TikTok is working hard enough to take down videos that promote anorexia and other eating disorders.

Origin

It's unclear who first started using the hashtag and term "SkinnyTok." The first known post to mention the term was posted by X^[1] user @PcPlaguee on December 12th, 2020, reading, "I hate skinnytok."

SkinnyTok became an increasingly prevalent term throughout the early 2020s, primarily on TikTok. It is most often used to refer to TikTok videos that promote thinness, some of which have been accused of encouraging eating disorders and harmful behaviors. As of April 2025, the "#SkinnyTok" hashtag on TikTok^[2] has over 57,000 videos under it, including a mixture of both SkinnyTok content and content criticizing the segment of the platform.

Spread

Liv Schmidt

Liv Schmidt is an influencer with over 300,000 followers on Instagram^[4] who is often described as being a part of SkinnyTok.^[5] Around October 2024, Schmidt's TikTok account with over 650,000 followers was reportedly banned for promoting eating disorders.^[6] Her content centers around dieting and staying skinny.

On December 24th, 2024, YouTuber^[7] Abbey Sharp posted a video offering criticism on SkinnyTok that specifically discusses Liv Schmidt, garnering over 74,000 views in four months.

2025 Spread

SkinnyTok content and content criticizing SkinnyTok became increasingly popularized throughout 2024 and 2025. On March 27th, 2025, TikToker^[8] @yoojiuen posted a video about the dangers of SkinnyTok that garnered over 1.3 million views in a month.

On April 11th, TikToker^[9] @tonewmil posted a pro-SkinnyTok video in which she poses for the camera under the caption "~welcome to skinnytok~" as a sound that begins with the phrase, "You can always be thinner, better," plays, garnering over 645,000 views in two weeks.

On April 17th, 2025, TikToker^[10] @adrian_peru posted a comedy video in which he shows off a mirror he made for his girlfriend that has trash bags taped to the sides in an hourglass-like figure, the joke being that she will look skinnier when she looks in the mirror, garnering over 3.2 million views in six days.

On April 22nd, TikToker^[11] @jenna.eliz.sm posted a video in which she eats a Lean Cuisine pizza to stay in her calorie deficit, directly thanking SkinnyTok for the inspiration, garnering over 420,000 views in a day.

The French Government's SkinnyTok Report

On April 22nd, 2025, The Guardian^[3] reported that Clara Chappaz, France’s minister for digital media, filed a report to France's "audiovisual and digital watchdog" and to the EU regarding SkinnyTok over fears that "#SkinnyTok" promotes eating disorders to young women. Chappaz was quoted as saying:

"These videos promoting extreme thinness are revolting and absolutely unacceptable. Digital tools are marvellous in terms of progress and freedom, but badly used they can shatter lives […] the social networks cannot escape their responsibility."

According to the report, evidence of SkinnyTok's negative effects will be presented to the commission by Arcom President Martin Ajdari in May 2025, with Arcom believing that SkinnyTok is a "public health risk." The article explains that in 2015, promoting anorexia was made a punishable offense in France, coming with a possible €10,000 fine and a year-long prison sentence.

Search Interest

External References