TikTok is home to a host of different trends at any given time. New dances, mouth-watering viral recipes, intense challenges and cute couples videos flood the app daily. These are usually harmless trends featuring creators having fun and exercising a bit of their creativity, but sometimes, what ruins a perfectly normal video is the slew of hateful comments it receives. Recently, one TikToker was reminded of just how bitter people on the internet can be when they see something they don’t understand.
3 days ago, TikToker Alicia Mccarvell called out viewers for showing their fatphobia after a cute video of her and her husband went viral for all the wrong reasons. Below, you can see the original video that sparked this discussion, hear what Alicia had to say in response, and read some of the comments her video received, and join Alicia in her frustration with society’s oppressive obsession with our bodies. Then if you’re looking for another Bored Panda piece calling out the world's rampant fatphobia, check out this article next.
Recently, TikToker Alicia Mccarvell posted a cute video with her husband showing their "transformation" as they got ready to attend a wedding
Image credits: aliciamccarvell
After the original video went viral, Alicia made a follow-up calling out viewers for perpetuating toxic beauty standards in the comments section
She shared examples of ignorant comments people left speculating about how her and her husband became an item
Alicia went on to explain that we all have a responsibility to unlearn toxic ideas we've been taught, like valuing the size of our bodies above all else
Image credits: aliciamccarvell
You can watch the full response video right here
Alicia currently has 5 million followers on TikTok and has gained a loyal audience through posting uplifting self-love content, participating in funny trends, and sharing adorable videos with her husband. So even though she receives thousands of supportive comments from fans every day, she notes in the video that hearing rude remarks about her marriage is nothing new. But that doesn’t make it acceptable. Inserting our opinions on anyone else’s body or relationship is uncalled for, and the fact that people take issue with Alicia’s marriage in the first place is so disappointing.
While TikTok is an app where content creators can post almost anything they like, from religious content to conspiracy theories, it is still notorious for promoting unrealistic beauty standards. With an algorithm that seems to endlessly push young, thin, white users’ content and mysteriously censors many plus-size creators for posting almost identical videos, the app is often the subject of controversy. In fact, the TikTok's original policies instructed moderators to “censor content from people it believed to be ugly, overweight, disabled, or poor”. By pushing videos from users that fit into narrow beauty standards, fatphobic viewers are able to hold fast to their prejudices knowing they’ll rarely ever see anything that challenges their beliefs.
Alicia’s original video was meant to be a fun post featuring her loving husband, but it turned into a bold statement about body positivity. While the hateful commenters might have a long way to go in dismantling their fatphobia, I hope that Alicia bringing attention to the issue will help some of them open up their minds. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below if you have ever experienced anything similar to Alicia or if you have any tips for helping others unlearn toxic beauty expectations. And remember, if you don't have anything nice to say, maybe you don't need to say anything at all.
Thankfully, Alicia has received countless comments of support from followers who understand how insignificant our bodies are
