Introduction

There has been a huge shift with body positivity and how it is viewed in today’s society. In the past, people have always idolized a thinner body type and even though this can still be considered true in today’s society, there has been more acceptance among other body types due to the body positivity movement. Tik Tok has become an overwhelmingly popular social media platform in the past few years and there are many influencers that highlight the importance of body positivity and showing off different body types that go against society’s standards. On the other hand, however, Tik Tok can also be a platform that can be considered toxic and promote unrealistic body standards for women and young girls. I wanted to explore the extent to which Tik Tok affects how women and adolescent girls view their body types, how health is promoted, and their overall self-image.

The research question I am focusing on is what is the effect of the body positivity movement on women and adolescent girls of Tik Tok? My independent variable is body positivity and my dependent variable is how women and adolescent girls perceive their self-image. It is important to evaluate if Tik Tok makes these individuals feel more confident due to content creators promoting body positivity who have heavier body types or if the public feels less confident due to thinner body types promoting body positivity.