Eating disorders (EDs) are nothing new, but their newest wave of circulation certainly is. On platforms like TikTok, thinness is resurfacing in highly curated, aesthetic forms — and young people are seeing it every day. What happens when online accessibility, community, and algorithmic pressure meet one of the most persistent mental health issues of our time?
Although eating disorders have existed for decades, there has been a resurgence in the wave of their popularity, their new wave of visibility – and subtle promotion – looks different. On TikTok, thinness reappears in deeply curated, aesthetic forms that blend seamlessly into everyday content. One of the most telling examples is a phrase that’s been circulating since 2024: "Don’t reward yourself with food. You are not a dog."
Usually plastered over a slow-motion catwalk clip with moody filters and catchy club beats, it reframes eating disorders with a sense of modern coolness — making the message feel aspirational rather than alarming.
In pertaining this influx, Isabelle Kieffer, a psychologist of 18 years with a master’s degree in clinical psychology as well as a master’s in psychotherapy, explains that this trend comes in waves: "There are times when there are more eating disorders and times where there are less. Now we are back to thinness as the beauty standard. We had that a bit in the 80s, a lot in the 90s with a very thin Kate Moss, then we hit a period where there was all this body diversity, women with all kinds of bodies, and now we have a mix of the two: one part is diversity and confidence, whilst the other is SkinnyTok."
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