Opinion: Fitness holds a big platform on TikTok but continues to spread false information and toxicity.
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Picture this: You’re swiping through TikTok’s “For You” page. You see a cute video of a dog wearing a costume. A story about a girl’s treacherous blind date. An inspirational speech about self love. On that fourth swipe, you come across a fitness creator talking about this “super natural diet plan that helped her lose 20 pounds and grow a booty!”
If I see one more video about a creator’s fitness journey to getting their “dream body,” my head is going to explode.
The fitness lifestyle started trending during 2020, specifically during the pandemic. Stuck at home with nothing to do, people grew eager to stay fit. Mindbody, an app that connects consumers to local beauty, fitness and health businesses, conducted a survey on livestream workouts. In 2019, 7% of consumers used livestreamed workouts; this jumped to over 80% during the pandemic. Chloe Ting’s “Get Abs in 2 Weeks” went viral, creating the #ChloeTingChallenge with over 808 million views. I tried it out, and let me say that it is not for the weak.
The trend persisted after the lockdown, building a whole new platform on TikTok — Gym Tok. Fitness became an aesthetic lifestyle. Working out has such a positive impact on one’s personal and mental health. But because so many were hopping on the fitness grind, people grew to believe that made them an expert on health. Gym rats deemed themselves qualified to be influencers on TikTok.
With a big enough platform, creators can heavily influence users. When I started working out consistently, I incorporated a lot of what I learned from TikTok into my routine. I had no prior knowledge so I was prone to believing everything I heard. Fitness creators target a vulnerable and uneducated audience.
I have no problem with educated fitness creators. I believe they can be very motivating and useful. When they start spreading false information, that’s when I have a problem. They create a toxic environment for exercise in two key ways: different body types and micro editing.
To start off, not every diet or workout routine is going to work for everyone. This is due to diverse body types. One diet might work great for one individual, but be ineffective for another. Yet a lot of creators share generalized methods due to a lack of health or fitness education. My favorite example is model Olivia Ponton’s workout routines. Let’s set the stage. She’s a tall, slim blonde girl with a naturally slight frame. Ponton tells her followers that if they do 40 squats, 50 situps and 20 pushups, they’ll look like her. Yeah, that’s comedic.
Creator @piersonfit talked about the 12-3-30 treadmill workout in one of his videos. “Walking on a treadmill or a stairmaster isn’t going to get you a big butt…all of these big women fitness creators prey on women’s insecurities and give you the easiest workout to follow and tell you it’s going to give you all these gains,” he says.
Micro editing is a whole other aspect that brings toxicity to Gym Tok. Influencers are professionals in making their platform picture perfect. This is where microediting comes in. Sabrina McMullen, a TikTok creator, tackles this issue on her platform. Fitness creators post unrealistic photos to promote their brand; they have the perfect lighting and angles, and slightly tweak their bodies. Not only do they spread a false reality, but they boost gym dysmorphia: the continuous dissatisfaction with your fitness progress and body image.
Not one diet or one exercise is going to get you your dream body. It’s a combination of so many methods. After three years, I’ve found my own routine that works great for me and my body type. However, I’m not going to hop on TikTok and tell users I found the magic solution.
Insider came up with five red flags to look out for in fitness creators: they only post ads and promotions, copy others’ content, lack of qualification, misrepresent research and only post short-term physique transformations. When it comes to health and fitness, creators with degrees and qualifications are the safest bet. InsideHook recommends following @pharmustafa, @dr_idz, @labmuffinbeautyscience, @epidemiologistkat, @austinchiangmd and @dr.karanr for educated advice.
Ultimately, you know your body the best. Follow fitness creators who positively uplift you. Those who show the good and bad angles. Who acknowledge that everyone’s journey is different. Or just hop off Gym Tok like I did. It does as much damage as it does good.
