The Effect of TikTok Body Neutrality Content on Young Women's Self-Compassion

The body neutrality movement emphasizes functionality over appearance and promotes a nonjudgmental approach to the body. The aim of this study was to investigate how exposure to TikTok body neutrality content impacts young women's self-compassion. The sample included 189 undergraduate women (M-age = 19.25, SD = 1.98) who were randomly assigned to view one of three compilation TikTok videos on body neutrality, thin ideal, or art content. Participants completed measures of pre- and posttest state self-compassion. Controlling for pretest levels of self-compassion, the results demonstrated that women in the body neutrality group reported higher self-compassion than women in the thin ideal and art groups with moderate effect sizes. Amidst the plethora of idealized imagery frequently encountered on highly visual platforms like TikTok, our results underscore the importance of advocating for a more extensive presence of diverse body neutral content on social media. Indeed, given that self-compassion is associated with several positive psychological outcomes, it appears that brief exposure to body neutrality content may encourage young women to develop healthier relationships with themselves and their bodies. Public Policy Relevance Statement<br /> Our study showed that young women who watched body neutrality content on TikTok reported higher self-compassion compared to those who watched thin ideal or art content. This finding suggests that promoting body neutrality on TikTok could encourage self-care attitudes, inspire mental well-being, and enhance healthy body image among young women.