The Rise of Body Positivity on TikTok
Are we just now realizing that it is hard for everyone to find clothes that fit?
by NATALIE BASS ★ NOVEMBER 2, 2021
Everyone knows that TikTok takes up way more of our screen time than we’d like to admit. While we may spend a couple *hours* a day on TikTok and think it’s a negative thing, believe it or not, TikTok has allowed for more unfiltered conversation, allowing for more groundbreaking discussions to occur. Prior to TikTok, there was little discussion of body positivity and feeling comfortable in your own skin. Other social media outlets portray an unattainable body type and beauty standard, leaving teenagers and young girls to believe they’re not good enough if they aren’t stick-thin, 5’10” supermodels. In other words, if you don’t look like Gigi Hadid, you might as well call yourself ugly.
However, in August 2020, Remi Bader, an *icon* to say the least, started making realistic hauls on her TikTok account. In these hauls, she tries on pieces of clothing that she orders online and reacts to how they fit. By mocking herself and society, Bader sheds light on how many brands such as Revolve, Zara, and H&M don’t make bigger sizes and how sizes vary greatly from brand to brand. This makes it hard for bigger and curvier women to shop online.
Credit: FMDOS
Through her raw and authentic TikToks, Bader has paved the way for women to feel more confident about how they look. Not only is she honest with her followers which allows her to connect with her audience, but she also exemplifies the struggles of the anxiety and stress of not finding the right clothing. I mean, we can ALL relate. With Covid, I thought that dressing room anxiety would be over! But, that only led to me struggling with ordering clothes online. I always get stressed out ordering clothes online because I never know whether or not the clothes will fit me. I never know which sizes to order because they vary so much from store to store. It is a big struggle that is not spoken about enough.
Credit: Cosmopolitan
Victoria Garrick
Credit: Gabby’s Glow
Another TikToker who has changed the game for body positivity is Victoria Garrick. She draws attention to the body image issues she gained from being a college athlete, letting her followers know that it’s okay to have stomach fat and stretch marks. After all, it's normal! She normalizes all types of bodies while using humor in her TikToks as well. She also exposes how any image can be edited extensively and shares that even TikToks can be photoshopped. Her goal is to help young women feel more confident in their own skin, and it definitely has done wonders for so many.
Brittani Lancaster
Credit: Shine Talet Group
Lastly, Brittani Lancaster started making body confidence TikToks while in recovery from her multiple eating disorders. Lancaster creates content that shows the struggles and experiences that so many girls have gone through. She emphasizes that no matter what it is important to not be down on yourself. In her videos, she acts as a friend we all have needed at one point or another and shows that anyone can improve their relationship with their body.
As TikTok continues to break more barriers and allow for more discussions, I applaud these influencers that are starting new conversations and exposing the harms of the media. Though these discussions allow for a more positive environment, we still have a long way to go until everyone feels comfortable as they are.
Cover Photo Credit: people.com