TikTok users SLAM ‘disgusting and toxic’ ‘leggings’ trend that sees women show off their thigh gaps in skin-tight tracksuits – warning dish encourages eating disorders among teenage girls

What exactly is the “legging leg” scandal taking over TikTok – and why is this fad so ‘harmful’ and ‘toxic’ according to some social media users?

Many young women on the video-sharing platform have defined the term ‘legging legs’ as having a thigh gap visible in the spandex trousers – but this has proved controversial.

Searching for ‘legging legs’ on TikTok brings up a combination of videos – young women showing off their thigh holes in spandex under the search term ‘perfect legging legs’ alongside women speaking out against the ‘toxic’ trend.

Women on social media are horrified and believe the trend is bringing back the ‘thigh gap’ for Gen Z and encouraging unhealthy eating habits.

Gen Z women have been showing off their thigh holes in leggings on TikTok, including content creators Mia Griggs20, in New Jersey.

A few followers loved the content, with one commenting, “Such a beautiful girl.”

However, others were less impressed and expressed that anyone can wear leggings and should feel good in them, regardless of what their bodies look like.

‘Yes Yes. You have them. Congratulations,’ one person snarled.

“I’ve always thought of leggings as something to wear to get comfortable, especially when nothing else would fit,” read another comment.

One user fought back with, ‘all legs are leggings legs’, to which another agreed, ‘how to get leggings legs: 1. Have legs, 2. Wear leggings.’

Influencer Mik Zazon, whose content focuses on comfortable fashion and eating disorder recovery, created a video that addressed the body shaming trend, which she shared with her 1.7 million followers.

The health and fitness coach from Columbus, Ohio clarified: ‘People who have clefts only have them because of their genetics, because of their bone structure, because of their hip structure.’

“Now we have young girls out there who think they were born wrong,” the wellness influencer continued.

“These trends have to stop,” said Mik.

“Social media is so harmful and toxic that we have young girls right now who think they can’t wear a wardrobe that’s comfortable and can be paired with so many different things because they don’t have a thigh gap.

“Our only purpose in life is not to fit into clothes and to fit into the standard of beauty that’s in right now because they change every other week if not weekly,” Mik told his followers.

She ended the video by proclaiming: ‘We’re not doing this.’

And Mik’s followers completely agreed with her message.

‘I wear leggings on my legs, that’s why I wear leggings. Thanks,’ joked one commenter.

“I’m on the side of social media where the only time I’ve heard of leggings is because people get mad at them,” wrote another.

Some took the trend a little too far, with one woman writing: ‘Easy to tell when you have perfect legging legs.’

“I can’t even remember if my thighs have ever been separated, they’re attached to each other,” one commenter joked.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, the response was largely the same.

Some users shared photos asking if they have ‘legging legs’, while others are concerned that history is repeating itself and called for the trend to stop.

One person tweeted: “People acting like ‘leggings’ is new when it’s just turned into ‘thigh gap’?”

‘Influencers, advertising and the media will recycle these ideas until the end of time to keep the woman insecure so they can exploit our insecurities and shame.’

Another wrote: ‘All these TikTok trends about leggings legs… it feels like we’re circling back to 90s magazines when they gave everyone eating disorders and I hate.’

Others believed that the popularity of the trend was blown out of proportion.

‘I’ve seen more videos on TikTok of people saying “I can’t believe leggings are trending, it’s disgusting” than I’ve actually seen videos about leggings.’