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TikTok as The New Tumblr: How Social Media (Overtly) Counters The Body Positivity Movement

Sep 26, 2024

The podcast delves into the damaging similarities between TikTok and Tumblr, especially concerning body image standards. It critiques trends like 'leggings legs' for promoting unrealistic ideals that harm self-image. The discussion highlights TikTok's role in both advancing and undermining the body positivity movement. Listeners learn about algorithmic biases that distort inclusivity, revealing a stark contrast between aspirational content and genuine body positivity representation. The conversation emphasizes the ongoing struggle against toxic beauty standards.

31:10

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Quick takeaways

TikTok's algorithm promotes unrealistic beauty standards by favoring content from thin, white creators, mirroring the issues seen on early 2000s Tumblr.

The body positivity movement is being co-opted by individuals who conform to traditional beauty ideals, creating an illusion of inclusivity that marginalizes diverse body types.

Deep dives

Emergence of the Leggings Legs Trend

The leggings legs trend that gained popularity on TikTok involved women showcasing their legs while discussing the perceived ideal shape for wearing leggings. This trend harks back to earlier harmful beauty standards, reminiscent of the thigh gap and bikini bridge movements from Tumblr. Critics highlighted that the portrayal of 'ideal' legs largely favored slender and long appearances, suggesting that a thigh gap was necessary to look good in leggings. The backlash against this trend was immediate, as it was seen as perpetuating negative body image and unrealistic expectations.

Intro

2min

The Impact of TikTok on Body Positivity and Cultural Progress

4min

The Illusion of Inclusivity: TikTok's Algorithm and Body Positivity

9min

Examining TikTok and Tumblr: The Shadow of Body Image Standards

16min

TW: This episode contains discussions about body image, weight loss, disordered and restrictive eating, self harm and other topics that listeners may consider traumatic.

In this week's episode, I explore how TikTok's algorithm and early platform priorities primed the app to overtly counter the body positivity movement and why some believe that Gen Z's favourite app has become as toxic as 2000s Tumblr.

Timestamps:

4:00 A brief history of body positivity content online: An illusion of inclusivity

7:10 How TikTok shattered this illusion

8:25 TikTok’s algorithmic bias feedback loop

14:00 Sienna Mae Gomez as one of TikTok’s first body positivity creators

15:45 How Tumblr glamourised self-harm, EDs, and mental illness in girls and young women

21:36 Comparing 2000s Tumblr and TikTok today

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