The chubby filter should be banned

I was tricked into thinking Bridget Jones was 'fat' and that being over a size 12 was sinful.

Those societal notions tarnished the self-confidence of many men and women, but I thought we left them in the noughties.

Unfortunately, society's obsession with being thin cropped up on my TikTok feed when the chubby filter appeared. Dozens of people flooded my feed laughing over how 'funny' they looked after trying the AI filter.

The chubby filter takes a photo of someone and makes it look like they've gained weight.

@sadiebass16 Literally when did we start body shaming again? Why are we going backwards in 2025!!! #chubbyfilter #bodyshaming #bodyimage ♬ original sound - sadiebass

People laughed about how 'awful' they looked, others said it had inspired them to go to the gym and many expressed their relief because they don't actually look like that.

The heartbreaking trend has highlighted just how prevalent body shaming is in society.

Opening my TikTok and seeing people, mostly women, laughing about how funny they looked broke my heart.

As someone who isn't conventionally skinny, I felt embarrassed, ashamed, and insecure about my body.

Being mid-sized is something I've embraced in recent years, but this trend started to unravel that progress.

Since when did we go back to the days when having a flat stomach was the be-all and end-all?

We may have made some progress but the chubby filter has proven that all bodies are not accepted in society.

Being chubby is not shameful nor is it something that should be mocked.

One TikTok user told the BBC: "My first thought when I saw the 'chubby filter' was how damaging that would be.

"People were basically saying they looked disgusting because they were 'chubby' and as a curvier woman, who essentially looks like the "after" photo on this filter, it was disheartening for me."

In 2025, we should be embracing all different types of bodies and not shaming those who aren't 'perfectly thin'.

Having a bigger stomach does not make you less worthy than someone who is a size 6.

How have we not realised that we're worth more than the labels on our clothes and the number on the scales?