“Look how snatched this gua sha is making my face.”
“If your jawline is non-existent, your high cortisol is showing.”
These are just a couple of very real sentences I’ve heard on TikTok lately – and scrolled by faster than you can say, “What are these people talking about?”
The latest wellness trends on social media – from cortisol cocktails to daily gua shas and adrenal fatigue hacks – are aimed at reducing inflammation and becoming thinner. And I, for one, am sick of seeing them on my FYP.
Sometime in the last few years, there’s been a noticeable shift from “every body is beautiful” to “the thinner the better.” Sure, no one is actually saying these things, but it’s definitely implied. Between the rise in Ozempic usage for weight loss to the decline in Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs), it hard to deny that thinness is definitely trending again.
Not to mention, tons of people use TikTok’s slimming filter and Instagram’s Facetune to appear smaller than they really are. If you were around back when thinspo and pro-ED blogs were rampant on Tumblr, you’ll find this era of social media eerily similar.
The fact that the latest wellness trends are thin-coded, as opposed to actually being helpful, is harmful to everyone. To state the obvious, the trends risk shaming people in larger bodies for simply existing. But they’re also spreading misinformation. For instance, cortisol face (a “swollen” face associated with high cortisol levels) and adrenal fatigue (a group of symptoms believed to stem from under-active adrenal glands because of chronic stress), aren’t official medical diagnoses. That’s not to say they’re not real – you very well may have a condition that causes facial swelling – but the internet isn’t the best place to seek out a diagnosis or treatment.
This is also not to say that you can’t use a gua sha or drink some tart cherry juice as part of a relaxing bedtime routine. They do, in fact, have some legit health benefits. For instance, using a gua sha or facial roller may help improve blood flow. And tart cherry juice may boost brain function and memory.
But I’m begging you to stop using these products in a quest to become thin. Most likely, eating a balanced diet and moving your body regularly will give you the results you’re looking for. If you do suspect you may have a health condition, make an appointment with a doctor instead of trusting a random TikTok influencer who’s probably earning commission on the latest pill claiming to solve all your problems.
