Let’s have a check-in about body checking. Even if you don’t know this behaviour by name, you’ve probably seen it modelled by influencers.

In a looks-obsessed space like social media — and a cultural moment like the present, in which discourse surrounding weight loss drugs is unavoidable and #SkinnyTok content is so ubiquitous that TikTok banned the hashtag — repeatedly scrutinising your appearance and documenting it online isn’t a big stretch. In fact, on the fitness side of TikTok, explicit “body checks” are super common, even normalised.

But just because a behaviour is common doesn’t mean it’s safe or healthy. Left unchecked, body checking can take a serious toll on your mental and even physical health. It’s usually a result of negative thoughts about your body. Often, it’s connected to eating disorders or body dysmorphia.

Here’s everything you need to know about this dangerous behaviour, including what it is, how to spot it and what to do if you keep seeing it online or can’t stop doing it IRL.

Seeking constant feedback on how your body looks can be a symptom of a larger issue.

What is body checking?

Body checking is a repetitive, compulsive behavior “used to gather feedback about one’s body shape, weight, or size,” Keesha Amezcua, LMFT, CEDS-C, clinical director at the eating disorder treatment facility Alsana, tells HuffPost. It can look like many different things. However, it’s usually centred around a body part or aspect of your physical appearance that’s a source of insecurity.

Common examples include obsessively looking at yourself in the mirror and scrutinising your body, using your clothes or accessories to “measure” parts of your body, or repeatedly capturing full-body videos or photos of yourself to check how you look in real-time. (Fitness influencers who constantly post body check videos under the guise of recording their progress,........

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