Shopping Secrets and Size Zero: Influencer's Controversial Advice

Meet Liv Schmidt, a 22-year-old influencer who was recently kicked off TikTok for promoting an unhealthy "skinny" lifestyle. Now, she's making headlines again for her money-saving hack: shopping in the children's section. That's right, this grown woman is buying clothes meant for kids and bragging about it on social media. Schmidt was booted from TikTok in September after sharing videos that glamorized disordered eating habits. Her "skinny girl breakfast" consisted of only protein shakes and electrolyte drinks, according to her Amazon List. But being banned didn't stop Schmidt from sharing her questionable advice with the world. In one of her latest TikTok videos, she shows off a skirt from Zara that she bought in the children's section for $35 less than the adult version. She captioned the video, "The biggest money saving hack when shopping is children’s clothing. " Sounds like a great idea, right? Wrong. Schmidt's post sparked backlash from users who called out her misguided advice. Some even shared personal stories about how Schmidt's content had triggered their own eating disorders. Despite the criticism, Schmidt doubled down on her stance, claiming she was banned for being "too skinni. " The influencer has also been known to misspell words like "skinni" instead of "skinny" to avoid posts being flagged. And while she denies having ever struggled with an eating disorder herself, she acknowledges feeling uncomfortable in her own body due to a generalized anxiety disorder since childhood. So, what's the takeaway here? It's important to be critical of the advice we see online and remember that just because someone looks a certain way or promotes a certain lifestyle doesn't mean it's healthy or right for us. Let's keep our eyes open and our minds critical when it comes to social media influence.