“Do you have a cortisol face?”

“Do you have leggings legs?”

“Maybe you have tank top arms.”

These terms, commonly heard on TikTok, negatively impact the body image of many teenagers, especially girls.

While different types of media pushing a negative body image aren’t new, the spread of body negativity through TikTok seems rampant. A campaign conducted by Dove states that 52% of girls say that toxic beauty advice on social media causes low self-esteem, and 90% of girls say they follow at least one social media account that makes them feel less beautiful.

In the past few years, our society went from a period of body positivity and acceptance to doubling down on beauty standards reminiscent of the early 2000s.

This has been seen quite frequently in the past few years.

With the revival of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, the company included models of all body types, shades and sizes. Despite this, consumers were still not happy. Users on platforms like TikTok and Instagram claimed that they wanted skinny, “heroin-chic” models who resembled supermodels of the 1990s, like Naomi Campbell, Shalom Harlow and Kate Moss.

During my nightly TikTok scroll, it isn’t uncommon for me to come across edits of old supermodels like Moss. The issue isn’t with the models themselves, but rather the glorification and glamorization of drug abuse and eating disorders.

As someone who has been affected by an eating disorder, I know firsthand the effect that these videos can have on people, especially teenage girls.

This rising trend in the glamorization of eating disorders can be traced back to platforms like Tumblr. On this platform, it isn’t unusual to see “what I eat in a day” posts showing the pinnacle of undereating, a few rice cakes, sliced cucumbers and a Diet Coke. “Thinspo,” a portmanteau of “thin inspiration,” where girls post pictures of flat, toned stomachs as their motivation to be skinny is a concerning trend. These inspirational pictures are often models who have discussed having eating disorders in the past and admit to using drugs like heroin and coke to stay skinny.

Similar accounts exist on TikTok. I have encountered multiple accounts dedicated to weight loss. These accounts often have girly aesthetics, with light pink shades and bows. Starvation is seen as a way to be more feminine. The skinnier and more frail you are, the more feminine and perfect you seem to be in the eyes of the male gaze.

Every time I see one of these accounts on my “for you” page, my heart drops. Girls with a CW (current weight) of 110 pounds have a GW (goal weight) of 90 pounds. The comments are filled with other girls stating similar goals or sharing how they lost 20 pounds by complete starvation and the occasional warm water with lemon before bed.

If daily meals are posted, they consist of one or two small meals that should be considered snacks. The posts also let followers know that the person behind the account will punish herself with a full day of starvation for eating food considered “bad” or unhealthy.

Girls barely in their teenage years shouldn’t be asking for help to remove cellulite and snatch their waists. At that age, girls should be more concerned about fueling their bodies and allowing themselves to develop properly instead of depriving their bodies of essential nutrients just to be considered “conventionally attractive.”

But what is conventionally attractive?

The beauty standard changes every few years. In the early 2000s, stars like Paris Hilton, Hillary Duff and Britney Spears made skinny and blonde the ideal look. In the 2010s, the Kardashians made curvy, BBLs and plastic surgery the new norm. Skinny was switched for curvy and more dramatic features. The pandemic led to a shift in more natural makeup and beauty standards. The 2018 full-beat look popularized by Kylie Jenner’s “King Kylie” era was now a thing of the past. Now, “glowy makeup” and “no-makeup makeup” are trendy. Companies, like Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Beauty, capitalize on this shift in beauty standards and market their products as the quintessential skincare for “clean girls.”

This “clean girl” aesthetic is misleading. While it seems that most celebrities have ditched makeup for skincare and begun incorporating pilates into their daily routines, this may not always be the case. An underlying fear of aging and gaining weight has made medical treatments like Botox and Ozempic rise in popularity.

Botox, which isn’t new, gained FDA approval in 2002. It is often used to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and has become normalized through reality TV shows like “The Real Housewives,” where many stars admit to getting Botox and “having work done.” But why do they get this work done? The media has created a fear of aging. Aging and wrinkling are seen as unglamorous and gross. You are no longer at your prime and have the bouncy, soft skin you once had.

The truth is, aging is a beautiful thing. Smile lines show that you have lived your life to the fullest, laughed with friends and enjoyed time with family. Crow lines around the eyes that have allowed you to see the beauty in the world. Wrinkly skin with sun marks shows that you got plenty of fresh air and enjoyed your time on the planet we all share. Despite what beauty standards say, there is grace and elegance in aging.

Along with wrinkles, weight fluctuations are also a normal part of aging.

Ozempic triggers the production of the GLP-1 hormone, which signals to the body that the stomach is full, reducing eating and lowering blood sugar levels. This can lead to significant weight loss. While some celebrities have admitted to using Ozempic to lose weight, others deny it and credit their drastic weight loss to the latest workout trend. Crediting a popular weight loss trend, such as Pilates or Core Power Yoga, creates a lack of transparency and allows a toxic cycle of dieting and exercise to continue.

What does this say about us? Our society’s expectations?

Social media has created an unrealistic standard of beauty and aging, expecting everyone to have a perfect physique, skin and hair. And yet, we are all human. It is normal to have bad hair days, bloating or skin imperfections.

Changing the beauty standard begins with us. We must encourage healthy eating habits, exercising as a way to strengthen the body and wearing skincare or makeup as a way to express ourselves. Beauty standards have been passed down through generations – my grandma passed them to my mother, and my mother passed them down to me. However, I don’t want my future children to bear the weight of societal expectations on their appearance. It is essential to support our younger generations, like siblings and cousins, and make them feel that they are enough for this world because they are.