TikTok's dangerous trend: "Slavic dolls" and hidden risks

Another concerning trend has emerged on TikTok, posing a threat especially to young people. Under the hashtag "slavic doll," videos of extremely thin young women are appearing. It seems that this content is meant to "inspire" individuals struggling with anorexia. On social media, content that explicitly promotes eating disorders is banned and removed, so it's often concealed under various "codes" known to those in the community.

The fact that "Slavic doll" is a code used by individuals actively starving themselves is further suggested by many videos tagged with the hashtag #katemoss. This refers to the harmful words of English supermodel Kate Moss, who once stated, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Some videos in the "Slavic doll" trend feature this quote as an audio backdrop.

Anorexia has the highest mortality rate among all mental disorders. Its main mechanisms are a tremendous fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of one's own body. Prolonged starvation causes damage to all major systems in the body, especially the skeletal and reproductive systems. Besides extreme malnutrition, the high mortality rate among those with anorexia is also due to suicides.

Researchers on the topic agree that social media plays an important role in developing and maintaining harmful eating habits. A recent article in the scientific journal "Frontiers" reported that since the pandemic, the number of cases of eating disorders is increasing. The text emphasized that the improper use of social media platforms is likely a significant factor contributing to this phenomenon.

Anorexia most often begins to develop in early adolescence. The average age of onset of the first symptoms is 12 years. Social media can contribute to the development of the disorder in two ways. Firstly, like traditional media, by showing many very slim people, they create unrealistic beauty standards. We recently wrote about how the TikTok algorithm promotes "beautiful people." Secondly, following other people's accounts during the active phase of eating disorders can create "inspiring" and "mutually supportive" relationships in starving each other. The "Slavic doll" trend was created for this latter purpose.