When I first downloaded TikTok and Instagram, I thought they were just for fun—quick videos, fashion inspo, and keeping up with friends. But it didn’t take long before my feed started filling with “perfect” bodies, beauty hacks, and “what I eat in a day” clips. At first, I didn’t think much of it. But the more I scrolled, the more I started comparing myself.
And here’s the thing: TikTok has a way of making everything look so natural. A lot of videos seem unfiltered, like you’re just seeing someone’s “real life.” But research shows that when we believe these portrayals are authentic, they hit us even harder (Knight, 2023). I know I felt that—thinking Wow, she looks amazing without even trying, and then immediately wondering, why don’t I look like that?
When Comparison Turns Into Pressure
The promotion of certain “beauty ideals” on social media can push people, especially teens like me, toward dangerous habits. I’ve learned that this isn’t just about feeling insecure. It can actually lead to eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019).
Anorexia is more than just dieting; it’s an intense fear of gaining weight that makes people restrict food so much that their health is at risk. It can cause fatigue, hair loss, low blood sugar, a slowed heart rate, and even death (Mayo Clinic, 2024). Bulimia is also terrifying—it usually involves binge eating and then purging to avoid weight gain. Both are life-threatening, and both are fueled by the idea that being thinner equals being better.
I used to scroll through endless diet videos without realizing how harmful they were. It wasn’t just me, either. A study in Italy during COVID-19 found that most kids with eating disorders were spending more than an hour a day on TikTok, and “diet” was the most-viewed category (Pruccoli et al., 2022). Over a quarter of them said TikTok had significantly changed their daily lives, and some even reported experiencing body shaming because of it.
The Bigger Picture
Hearing that honestly didn’t surprise me. I know how easy it is to get sucked into the trap of comparison. Another study found that over three years, teens who internalized the body shapes they saw in media ended up with more negative emotions about themselves—and those feelings often turned into disordered eating (Mental Health Foundation, 2023).
The stats say a lot: 25% of young people said celebrity images in the media made them worry about their body, and almost 1 in 5 said TV shows did the same (Mental Health Foundation, 2023). Girls reported these struggles more often than guys, but that doesn’t mean guys don’t feel it. They just don’t always say it out loud.
What I’m Learning
For me, the biggest shift came when I started recognizing the patterns. I realized that most of the “effortless” content I was comparing myself to wasn’t real—it was staged, filtered, or edited. I also started following creators who post unedited, body-positive content, and it completely changed how my feed felt. Taking breaks from the apps helped too. Every time I stepped away, my mood got better.
But maybe the most important thing I’ve learned is to talk about it. Once I opened up to my friends, I realized I wasn’t the only one struggling with this. That reminder—that I’m not alone—made a huge difference.
Moving Forward
I’m not going to pretend I’ve completely escaped the pressure. I still catch myself comparing sometimes. But I remind myself daily: no influencer, no trend, and no “ideal” body type gets to decide my worth.
Eating disorders are serious, and social media can absolutely make them worse. But by noticing the patterns, questioning what we see, and choosing to value health over perfection, we can start to take that power back.
Because at the end of the day, beauty isn’t about shrinking yourself to fit some trend. It’s about being strong, healthy, and confident in your own skin—no filter required.
