Body image is something that a lot of young women today struggle with, especially with the presence of social media. Social media users often find themselves comparing their bodies to others, specifically influencers, who in most cases are editing the photos they post. 

Tik Tok and social media in general have become a somewhat toxic environment. For example, many users are showing their bodies, diet, and exercise routine, and if they are thin or have abs it can be extremely intimidating for others, especially those who are not as confident in their body. 

This online culture that has been created can also trigger anxiety and depression, especially in someone with a mental or eating disorder. 

Recently, however, there has been a new movement of Tik Tok users encouraging body positivity. These influencers start their videos by showing flattering angles of their bodies, usually with high-waisted clothing. Then, the influencers dance and show their natural stomachs, without holding back. 

The community response to these videos are extremely positive. 

“This makes me feel normal,” said a user who commented. 

“I have the same body and I want to get to the point where I accept myself, ” said another. 

More and more users duet [recording one’s own video alongside other Tik Tok videos] these videos showing their natural bodies, creating a very accepting and positive community.

Many influencers who participated in this trend said that making the videos itself was easy to do. However, the best part was receiving many positive comments about how these videos have helped people accept their bodies as how they are. 

At the height of this trend is a 17 year old influencer, Sienna Gomez. The majority of her content is about empowering young women to accept their natural bodies and bringing awareness to the fact that all bodies are beautiful.

Sienna told Buzzfeed News, “I love posing on Instagram and being a part of it, but you can edit your pictures, your body, your face, your makeup, everything. On TikTok, it’s a little more real. … Instead of thinking I need to edit myself, other people get to see who I really am.”

These videos teach an important lesson: social media can be deceiving with angles, lighting, filters, and photoshop. This empowering movement is one that has been widely supported by Tik Tok users, and many hope that it will allow people to be more confident and accepting of themselves. 

“The support is so amazing.” Sienna Gomez told Buzzfeed. “… learn to be OK with what you look like, however it presents itself.”