A TikTok AI tool called the "Fat Filter" has recently sparked controversy, with users reporting to the BBC that the filter edits users' photos to show them with increased weight, leading them to believe the tool is engaged in body shaming and should be banned from the platform. This filter has spread rapidly on the platform, with many users sharing before-and-after comparison photos and making jokes about it, but it has also raised concerns about a "toxic diet culture."
Read Also...:
Trump says he is ending Secret Service protection for Biden's adult children, which had been extended until July
03-22, 2025
Eyeing China threat, Trump announces Boeing wins contract for secretive future fighter jet
03-22, 2025
Detectives recover four diamond earrings two weeks after suspect swallowed them during arrest
03-22, 2025
New Zealand parliament shows its spooky side in a tour of mysterious deaths and cat infestations
03-22, 2025Experts warn that this type of filter could exacerbate the "toxic diet culture" online and even lead to eating disorders. Currently, TikTok has not responded to the matter. Sadie, a TikTok user with 66,000 followers, is one of the users calling for a ban on this "mean" filter, stating that it makes her feel like "girls are saying, 'Oh, I win because I'm skinny, and getting fat is the worst thing ever.'"
Sadie revealed that women have contacted her, saying they deleted TikTok because the trend made them feel disgusted with themselves. She believes that people should not be ridiculed for their bodies simply by opening an application. Dr. Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist, told the BBC that she sees this trend as "a major step backwards" in terms of weight stigma.
Dr. Beckett pointed out that it still perpetuates the old stereotypes about larger-bodied people being lazy, flawed, and something to be avoided at all costs. She warned that this could have broad social implications. "Fear of weight gain can lead to disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, it fuels toxic diet culture, causes people to obsess about food and exercise in unhealthy ways, and makes them vulnerable to fraudulent products and fad diets."
A BBC reporter personally tested the "Fat Filter" and said she felt very uncomfortable. The reporter stated that as someone who is very positive about her body and has struggled with self-image in the past, using the filter goes against her personal way of using social media, and she was displeased that TikTok pushed this filter to her. Other users have expressed similar concerns, believing that the filter fuels the "toxic" idea of linking appearance to self-worth, and are calling on TikTok to remove obviously offensive filters, or at least add warning labels to avoid negative impacts on a wider audience.
