Dark truth behind ‘leggings legs’ trend Gen Z are obsessed with that TikTok banned

Warning: This article contains discussion of eating disorders which some readers may find distressing.

TikTok has banned a trend popularised by Gen Z users known as 'leggings legs'.

The video sharing app, which started as a way to share dance routines, has quickly become the go-to app among Gen Z to lip sync along to songs, share beauty routines and spill the tea.

Every so often, alarming trends emerge, nestled among the wholesome content.

The latest fad, known as 'leggings legs', has been banned from the platform altogether following safety concerns.

The trend soared in popularity over the past year, until the platform took the initiative to redirect all searched for the term.

'Leggings legs' has been banned on TikTok (Getty Stock Image)

What is 'leggings legs'?

Based on appearance alone, the trend is used by users to show off how their legs look in a pair of leggings - and casts judgement on those who don't look a certain way.

Having 'leggings legs' means that you have a thigh gap when you wear your leggings.

Rooted in the false idea that thinness equates goodness, many young women have been left seriously upset after failing to 'fit' the ideal.

TikTok have spoken out against the trend (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

One person wrote on social media: “I have been crying for the past 4 hours because I don’t have ‘legging legs’ and my bf has been trying to comfort me the entire time.”

Another added: “Do we understand that there are 15-year-old girls that wear leggings every single day that now feel that they cannot wear leggings because they don’t have legging legs…the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Why have TikTok banned it?

Steph Clare Smith, a fitness influencer, explained why the trend is so damaging to ABC.

She said: "I remember being obsessed with having a thigh gap… because social media told me that that was what was attractive.

“If you have legs, and you’ve got a pair of leggings on, you have legging legs. Don’t worry what the internet is saying.”

Associate professor of marketing at Melbourne’s RMIT, Lauren Gurrieri, added: "When people consume content like this, it communicates a message that they need to engage in bodywork in order to achieve a specific and possibly unachievable ideal.

Influencers and academics have spoken out (Getty Stock Image)

"A term like ‘leggings legs’ is simply code for skinny or thinness.

"Being thin isn’t enough, you have to strive to achieve very specific ideals of perfection related to a part of your body.

“In this case, it’s having legging legs, in the past we have seen the same pressures for women to achieve a thigh gap or bikini bridge.

“They are very specific ideals related to women’s bodies that foster new ideologies of attractiveness.”

What have TikTok said about the trend?

A TikTok spokesperson told News.com.au: “When people search for #legginglegs or content related to eating disorders, they are shown a pop-up with a link to the Butterfly Foundation.

"TikTok is an inclusive and body-positive environment and we do not allow content that depicts, promotes, normalises or glorifies eating disorders.”