The Ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, has been admired for centuries. She is, by definition, the beauty standard. So, if someone were to tell you that you resemble Aphrodite, it would surely be the highest compliment. Yet in the world of “#Skinnytok”, it would be a passive-aggressive slight.
“#Skinnytok” took the internet by storm in 2025. It included tens of thousands of videos advocating thinness, based on shocking and dangerous advice, promoting extreme fasting and shaming women into unhealthy eating habits. Whilst TikTok officially banned the hashtag in late 2025, the trend took carried on in other forms. It began using similar hashtags such as “#skinnygirl” or “#skinnylifestyle”, continually pushing the skinny ideal.
It is a trend that highlights the recent surge in the new overly skinny beauty standard. It encourages diet culture and a body type that is often unachievable and even harmful, particularly to young girls. According to a study conducted by the Children's Commissioner for England, more than three quarters (78%) of young people aged 13-17 said exposure to appearance-changing products negatively impacted their self-esteem, with girls more likely to report this than boys. Similarly, a study of American high school students found that those who used social media more than 2 hours daily were 1.6 times more likely to experience body image issues.
The health risks are enormous. Extreme calorie restriction depletes energy, obsessive tracking consumes mental bandwidth, and constant bodily scrutiny erodes confidence. According to Dr. Alene Toulany, co-author of the new CPS guidance (Canadian Paediatric Society), “Young people are using and consuming a lot of social media, and the message on social media is that thin is ideal".
Some commentators go further than health concerns. Writer Mona Laza argues that “the whole point is to shut you up while the culture drags women back to a beauty standard that makes them smaller, weaker, and easier to manage”. Others, including a growing number of young women writing online, interpret the resurgence of extreme thinness as part of a broader pattern that limits women’s confidence, autonomy, and political and public participation.
This all seems particularly disheartening, especially after the body positive trend of the late 2010’s did so much to redefine women’s beauty. In 2019, Victoria’s Secret hired their first plus-sized model, and the singer Lizzo became a voice for plus-sized women in the industry. The overarching message sent to young girls was that you can succeed no matter your body type. So, what happened?
With any type of cultural advancement, there is usually a backlash. So, whilst the skinny trend is disappointing, it is not all that shocking. But girls’ and women’s bodies are not trends, nor should they be subject to constant reinvention. Too much time and energy is spent chasing a so-called perfect body- a benchmark that is constantly changing. At some point, the mental and physical wellbeing of women and girls must take precedence over fashion and aesthetics.
If a goddess of love and beauty is now deemed too much, there is little hope for a mere mortal. The real insult is not being compared to Aphrodite; it's a culture that would rather shrink a goddess than expand its imagination.
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Hannah is a third year Politics with Quantitative Research Methods student at the University of Leeds. She is currently undertaking a year abroad at Sciences Po Aix. She is interested in social justice, AI and democracy, and is currently enjoying learning French and recovering from running the Manchester Marathon 2025! Outside of politics, she’s in a pop dance group and she is also a singer in a music band.
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