TikTok reported that it unblocked the account of a 16-year-old content creator who was temporarily banned from the platform after she debuted her cystic acne, according to a news report.
Eva-Marie Grant, from North Yorkshire in England, said she was trying to dismantle negative stereotypes about acne. When she showed off her bare skin, which was covered in red, raised pimples, TikTok flagged her account and removed her.
“They didn’t fit my skin, because it was appalling content,” Grant, who holds the title of Miss Teen Galaxy York, told BBC Radio York.
Determined not to let the incident deter her from sharing her truth online, the disgruntled teen reported writing the social media giant an email and creating a new account the next day.
Eva said that her cystic acne never stopped her from being successful in pageants.family brochure
She is trying to be a positive acne role model for young women.family brochure
A TikTok spokesperson told the BBC that the company does not “make all the right moderation decisions” and went so far as to reinstate the lost account.
“We hope that Eva will continue to use TikTok to offer encouragement and advice to others, and to share her story,” the representative continued, stating that the app is a “platform for creative and authentic self-expression.”
Grant, who has suffered from cystic acne for years, said his skin condition got so bad that at one point he refused to leave the house. Since medical treatment has helped, he hopes to show others that not having flawless skin is “normal.”
“Just because you have blemishes on the outside doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful,” she said.
In the pageant world, Grant’s acne hasn’t gotten in the way of her success: The 16-year-old is scheduled to compete in the national finals in March. If she wins, she will advance to international competition in the United States.
“No one says anything in pageants because everyone accepts you for who you are, not what you look like,” she said.
TikTok claims to have reinstated the young creator’s account.family brochure
This latest TikTok blunder isn’t the first time the app has come under fire for apparently censoring body-positive content. Users have criticized the app for being “fatophobic”; stifle marginalized creators; and only promote stereotypically attractive users.
In 2020, body-positive influencers criticized the platform for flagging their videos for violations of community guidelines due to showing some skin, despite wearing the same outfits as their slimmer counterparts.
In a statement to The Post at the time, a TikTok spokesperson claimed that “body type is never a reason to moderate content on our platform. The fact that some in our community feel it might be is a concern we hear deeply, and we are committed to continuing to examine our policies and practices as we work to keep TikTok a safe and welcoming place for everyone.”
Just a few months earlier, the Intercept had published an explosive report revealing TikTok’s moderation criteria, which included censoring creators deemed to have “abnormal body shapes” or categorized as “chubby,” “ugly” and ” obese”.
The platform, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, also advised moderators to flag clips in which users appeared to be in “slums” or “dilapidated houses.”
The app is facing challenges within the US government as the threat of a ban looms. In December, the Senate voted to ban the platform from government-issued devices for security reasons.
Source: news.google.com