Content Warning: This article contains mentions of eating Disorders.
I thought that I was through with seeing ED content online ever since I stopped accessing forums in middle school. However, while scrolling on TikTok, nothing could have prepared me for seeing videos captioned “wieiad.”
In case you were wondering, that stands for “what I eat in a day.”
After watching the creator shovel a heaping handful of popcorn into her mouth and calling it a day’s worth of nutrients, I searched the comments for what I thought would be people asking the creator to remove this video.
What I actually found were groups of people encouraging others to “stay skinny” and “be disciplined.”
I reported the video and moved on with my day, but what I wasn’t expecting was for similar videos to fill my page an hour later.
See, this video on its own was shocking, but when you realize that #SkinnyTok isn’t just people promoting their weight loss, and instead actively pretending to be living healthily while starving themselves, you begin to comprehend just how detrimental this content can be for your mental health.
The issue spans more than “wieiad” videos. There are edits with funky music that make disordered eating patterns seem “cool” or “aesthetic.” There are accounts that claim to be for “recovery” but reinforce the opposite.
If you think this isn’t an issue that’s going to affect you, let this serve as your reminder that it’s probably harming someone in your life.
Eating disorders are a complicated issue, with many people never feeling “sick enough” to get treatment or help.
NEDA reports that 30 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime, with prevalence doubled among women.
And if you’re thinking it’s not that serious, please note that as a direct consequence of an eating disorder, someone will die every 52 minutes, according to NEDA.
Now think of how many people you know that use TikTok reguarly. I’d be willing to bet that it’s over half of the people you know.
If you see this type of triggering content on social media, the best thing to do is report it and select the option that says you are not interested.
Bear in mind, you never know what secrets someone has in their pantry. Leave the judgement aside and be a friend.