TikTok influencer Liv Schmidt has been banned from the popular short-form video platform for disseminating controversial weight loss advice.
The 22-year-old social media personality was removed from TikTok after posting a series of videos that allegedly encouraged disordered eating habits. Liv had amassed nearly 700,000 followers on the platform, where she frequently shared clips related to fitness, wellness, and diet tips, including her contentious series titled “Skinny Girl Essentials”and “What I Eat in a Day.”
Understanding the Liv Schmidt Controversy
Despite lacking formal certification as a nutritionist or health professional, her content primarily revolved around body image and featured numerous promotions for dietary supplements, ankle weights, and protein powders, along with strategies to prevent weight gain.
While she enjoyed a substantial following, her posts often drew ire from experts and nutritionists, who critiqued her materials as embodying an “unhealthy obsession with thinness.”
@notlivsschmidt Who’s ready to slip and slay
Critics asserted that Liv was idealizing disordered eating by prioritizing the pursuit of thinness, prompting calls for her content’s removal from the platform. Consequently, TikTok took action by suspending her account, citing violations of its community guidelines regarding “disordered eating.”
Disordered eating habits can result in serious health complications, such as malnutrition, cardiovascular issues, and psychological challenges. As stated by the National Eating Disorders Association, these detrimental behaviors can lead to long-term physical and mental health issues, a factor that likely influenced TikTok’s decision to ban her profile.
Liv Schmidt Stands by Her Weight Loss Advice
Liv continues to defend her provocative weight loss strategies, even following her TikTok ban. “For me, and in terms of my personal style, I prefer being skinny, and I see no issue with that,”she told the Wall Street Journal in a profile published on September 16, 2024.
On the reasons behind the “success”of her content, she explained: “I don’t eliminate any foods from my diet. I’m not dairy-free, not vegan, and not gluten-free. I don’t consider myself a health fanatic.”
Despite widespread criticism claiming that Liv has perpetuated disordered eating behaviors, she insists her content is aimed at “saving America from obesity one individual at a time.”
“I’m striving to create something genuine,” the 22-year-old stated, expressing feelings of being “misunderstood” and “hurt” by TikTok’s action. “Everyone has the freedom to follow or block any content they choose.”
Liv also disclosed that she previously struggled with body dysmorphia, which heavily influenced her content creation. She articulated, “When you look around and see everyone around you is blonde and skinny, you’re naturally going to feel pressured to conform to that image.”
Although her TikTok account has been deactivated, she remains active on YouTube and Instagram, where she continues to share wellness content, gaining thousands of likes and views.
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