Your fingers are numb from hours of scrolling through TikTok—the app is intoxicating. The #foryoupage contains a little bit of everything. You have the obligatory dance posts. There are funny and embarrassing stories that you obviously have to share in your family group chat. With the surge of political activism in the past year, there are also posts garnering support for both sides of the aisle.
Amongst all these posts are “what I eat in a day” videos. They are exactly what they sound like: videos documenting people’s meals throughout the day. Seems innocuous enough, right? Although these users filming their “what I eat in a day” likely have no malicious intent, these videos can adversely affect body image and confidence.
Let’s take a look at Daisy Keech, a 20-year-old TikToker who initially gained notoriety for being an Instagram model. She has what many perceive as the ideal, hourglass body. Being a fitness model, she regularly posts short videos on TikTok showing what her typical day of eating looks like. Given her coveted body, many people -- especially the young and impressionable girls on Tik Tok -- will try and emulate her eating habits so they can try to look like her. While Keech may have a healthy body by eating four high-protein and low-calorie meals a day, someone else can be equally as healthy by having six meals filled with a mix of protein and carbs.
Many people forget that everybody is built differently. As a result, people may restrain and constrict themselves so they can eat similar meals to Keech in hopes that their bodies will eventually resemble hers. This line of thinking is flawed because there are a variety of variables other than eating that go into having a healthy body, one of which is genetics, something you have no control over.
These videos can also be harmful because one day of eating doesn’t encapsulate every day. Clearly. It may seem obvious to some, but users often forget this and are convinced that these TikTok stars who post the “what I eat in a day” videos eat the same way every day. However, sometimes these videos are staged so the person will purposefully eat healthier or smaller portions than normal. Or they are filming on a day where they are less hungry or craving healthier food.
It is important to remember that what you see on TikTok, or virtually any other social media platform, is only a small part of the picture. While these videos can be entertaining and even inspire certain recipes, it is crucial to remember that only you know what works best for you.