A viral filter on TikTok that made users appear overweight has been removed after it sparked widespread criticism.
Known as the “chubby filter,” this artificial intelligence (AI) tool altered users’ photos to make them look as though they had gained weight.
While many users shared their “before and after” images, making light of the altered appearances, others condemned the filter as a form of “body shaming” and argued it should not be allowed on the platform.
Experts also warned that the filter could contribute to “toxic diet culture” online and potentially trigger eating disorders.
TikTok explained that the filter was uploaded by CapCut, a separate platform owned by the same parent company, ByteDance. The platform added that it was reviewing videos featuring the effect, making them ineligible for recommendations, and blocking them from teen accounts. Videos that violated TikTok’s community guidelines, such as those featuring bullying or harassment, would also be removed.
Sadie, a TikTok user with 66,000 followers, was among those calling for the filter to be banned. “It felt like girls were saying, ‘Oh, I’ve won because I’m skinny, and wouldn’t it be the worst thing ever to be fat?'” said the 29-year-old from Bristol. She shared that women had reached out to her, saying they deleted TikTok because the filter made them feel bad about themselves. “I just don’t think people should be ridiculed for their body just for opening an app,” she added.
Dr. Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist, described the trend as “a huge step backward” in terms of weight stigma. “It perpetuates the same old stereotypes about people in larger bodies being lazy or flawed, and something to be avoided,” she said. She warned that such attitudes could have wider social effects, fueling body dissatisfaction, unhealthy obsessions with food and exercise, and contributing to the rise of eating disorders. “The fear of weight gain leads to toxic diet culture and exposes people to scam products and fad diets,” she added.
Before the filter was removed, several TikTok users expressed discomfort with it. Nina, from north Wales, said the filter reinforced a damaging narrative that tied people’s appearance to their self-worth. “This is a toxic view that I thought we were moving away from,” she said, emphasizing that offensive filters should be removed.
Emma, from Ayr, also expressed her concerns. “My first thought when I saw the ‘chubby filter’ was how damaging it could be,” she said. “People were basically saying they looked disgusting because they were ‘chubby.’ As a curvier woman who would look like the ‘after’ photo, it was disheartening for me.”