Another day, another TikTok trend that makes me want to chuck my phone into the sea. This time, it’s the AI Chubby Filter — and honestly, I’m disgusted. I’m not shocked that CapCut (a TikTok-affiliated app) created both the AI Chubby Filter and AI Skinny Filter — my expectations are on the floor. What does surprise me is how many people are running wild with it, cruelly mocking bigger bodies without a second thought.

It’s mostly thin women using the filter, showing off a stunning, slim pic of themselves before it morphs into a larger version of themselves. The captions are just as nasty as you’d expect: “This is how I felt after being on holiday for a week HAHAHA,” “Shouldn’t have had that takeaway last night,” or “Me if I don’t lock in and go to the gym.” The message? Loud and clear: thin is good, fat is bad — as if society hadn’t already drilled that into us a thousand times over.

The filter is often paired with Doechii’s song “Anxiety” — maybe it’s just a trending sound to boost views, but part of me wonders if it’s something more sinister. For women especially, weight gain (alongside aging) is one of our greatest social fears. It’s tied to the idea that we’ll lose our desirability, our worth, and even our relationships. This filter taps right into that anxiety.

Betches spoke to Eloise Skinner, an author and psychotherapist, about the psychological toll of filters like these. Let’s unpack why society’s fatphobia keeps making a comeback — and what that means for people who live in the bodies you treat like a nightmare.

What Is The Chubby Filter Trend On TikTok?

The real-world impact of filters like these

I recently saw a Chubby Filter video that showed a woman with a body shape similar to mine. The caption? Something about how horrifying it would be to look like that. The comments agreed.

Here’s the thing: I’m finally in a place where my eating disorder doesn’t control me. I can eat birthday cake without planning a bathroom break afterward. I’m two years into Lexapro — and yeah, I’ve gained weight. It’s one of the most common side effects. I’m heavier, and guess what? I’m alive because of it.

If my weight gain is your “worst-case scenario,” then thank God I’m living it — because it saved me. And this could be you one day, too. People live in bigger bodies for a million different reasons. Whether it’s from genetics, medication, postpartum changes, disabilities, hormones, or just because none of these reasons should matter. Your snarky caption about needing to “hit the gym” won’t protect you from ever gaining weight. Bodies change — that’s life.

“Just my real life body that [you’re] taking the mick out of there, girl,” Stella’s Solo Adventures wrote in a TikTok. “It’s giving mean girl energy. A reminder that I live in this body, It’s my home and it’s thanks to trends like this that I want to cover it up.”

Filters like this boil down to one thing: mocking bigger bodies. Whether you mean to or not, you’re turning fatness into a joke — a punchline for clout and engagement.

“Making light of body shaming can normalize it and make it seem more socially appropriate,” Skinner explains. “As these trends continue, some people might feel more comfortable expressing discriminatory or disrespectful views in real life without realizing the real significance of doing so. Trends that spread quickly across social media — like TikTok filters, for example — also have a huge reach, encouraging a general change in opinion and perspective across a wide range of consumers.”

While a user might make the video with ‘harmless’ intent, what they’re actually doing is contributing a wider distaste for fat bodies. They confirm to those watching the video that it is okay to mock such people, online or offline.

Why is the Chubby Filter worse than the Skinny Filter?

The Skinny Filter is making the rounds, too — it works in reverse, slimming people down with captions like “seeing how I’d look skinny for motivation.” And, of course, some trolls are asking: “If the Skinny Filter’s okay, why can’t we use the Chubby one?”

Spoiler: neither is okay.

As someone who once photoshopped my anorexic, skeletal body, I’m beyond relieved that AI tools like this didn’t exist back then. Warping yourself to be thinner is toxic, too — fueling #thinspiration and pushing the idea that we should “earn” our right to exist in our bodies.

What’s even worse is that some TikTok users are doing the effect on photos of OTHER people without their consent. This happened to content creator Becki Jones, who left TikTok over the weekend due to relentless bullying about her weight.

But here’s the thing: while both filters are harmful, fat shaming hits differently. Thinness is still treated like a badge of honor. Fatness, on the other hand, is seen as a moral failure. When someone is called “too skinny,” they’re often met with concern. When someone’s “too fat,” they’re met with disgust, ridicule, and even open hostility.

This isn’t just about personal insecurities — it’s about a society that treats fat people like they’re less-than, less deserving of respect, happiness, or basic human decency.

How can we make social media a more size-inclusive space?

While we love to look back on the 90s and 00s as the dark ages of body inclusivity — *cough heroin chic cough* — let’s be real: we haven’t come as far as we think we have. With weight loss injections all over our feeds and celebs showing off their shrinking frames, the internet has once again become a hellscape for anyone trying to feel okay in their body.

Everyone I know is stuck in the same doom scroll — FYPs clogged with weight loss hacks, low-carb diet tips, and other outdated nonsense. Even when it’s not directly telling you to get smaller, the message still lingers. Challenges like 75 Hard or so-called “modern” nutritionists and fitness influencers push the idea that weight loss equals success — just wrapped up in shinier, more wellnessy packaging.

Is there any hope for the internet? Is there any hope for us?

Skinner believes there is. “On the consumer side, we can also cultivate a safer space for ourselves online,” she explains. “Though our algorithm might still introduce us to content we don’t enjoy, we can take an active role in shaping our algorithm – tapping ‘dislike’ or ‘not interested’ on content we don’t like, and interacting proactively with content we do enjoy.”

Skinner advises remembering that real people are behind the screen names and comments we see online can help. “It’s easy to forget that there are human beings interacting with us on the other side of the screen,” she says. “Extending compassion and inclusivity to other people is easier when we can see them and relate to them (which is one reason why the creators making videos against the filter have been so popular – it provides a real human perspective on the impact of the trend). So, when we’re scrolling, it’s important to remember that we’re interacting with real people, perhaps asking ourselves how we’d feel if someone spoke or commented that way about our own friends or family members (or ourselves).”

Please don’t like these videos. And more importantly — please don’t use these filters on yourself. I get the temptation — trust me, I really do — but we have to keep moving toward a world where all bodies are accepted. Filters like these? They’re sending us straight back to square one.

Whenever I see this kind of toxic nonsense, I think back to Alex Light’s powerful book You Are Not a Before Picture. She writes: “And remember this: taking up space is allowed. You do not need to be the smallest version of yourself to be accepted.”

You are not a before picture. You’re not an after picture, either — especially not through a Chubby or Skinny Filter. You are exactly where you’re meant to be, as you are right now.