It has now been several months since the “body count” emerged on TikTok. You may have seen it hanging out on social media, not even knowing what it was about. However, this trend is largely problematic, especially for women. We explain why…
VSach month, new trends arrive on TikTok and become the new fad of young people (and not so young, for that matter). Unfortunately, they are far from always being healthy and benevolent. After the anti-sunscreen movement which continues to worry doctors, the “body count”a misogynistic and degrading game, has gone viral in recent weeks on the social network, analyzes 20 minutes. But what is it?
What is the “body count”?
In the world of movies and TV series, the term refers to the total number of on-screen deaths. In real life, and especially on social networks, on the other hand, it refers to the number of sexual partners that a person has had in their lifetime.
Although popular, the “body count” poses many problems. First, it boils intimate relationships down to a single number and therefore gives a rather superficial and simplistic image of the sexuality (it’s not the quantity that counts, but the quality, let’s remember). Second, this phenomenon also causes people to compare themselves to each other. What to give birth to value judgments and reviewsbut also oftaint the trust of some. In short, already, psychologically, it is far from being brilliant. But it was without counting on the Sexismeven on the masculinismwhich this notion has brought to the fore on the Web and which is hitting users hard.
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A game that has gone viral on social networks
According to HuffPostthe “body count” gained momentum on TikTok with the publication of a video by tiktoker Ugo Original, in which he is seen asking strangers on the street how many people they have slept with so far. Video that was a great success, so much so that the content creator quickly posted others of the same genre (which have accumulated millions of views).
@ugoriginal (Pt.2) It shoots real bullets 🤣 #bodycount
♬ original sound – ugoriginal
Many Internet users then took up the idea, making the concept… a viral trend on social networks. Some go even further by asking passers-by to guess the “body count” of other people on the street. The physique, the clothing, but also the gender of the individuals targeted by this “riddle” then become the only criteria allowing the person to answer… Grossophobia, Sexism, racism… we let you imagine what this can cause.
Women victims of an unnamed misogyny
Above all, the “body count” results in a misogyny nameless. Because here again, men and women are not treated the same way (obviously). When men proudly announce the number of sexual partners they have had in their lifetime, thehumorTHE Congratulationseven the respect are appropriate. It is well known, the more a man has conquests, the more he is virile.
On the other hand, when women announce a counter that is too high on their hunting board (specifically, which exceeds the figure of 5), they suffer inappropriate commentsof the salacious remarksof the reviews and insults. On social networks, those who would have the audacity to assume having slept with more than a dozen people are often covered with insults. “It shows how much the person does not respect themselves… Become the balls-buster of 50 guys and tell me you have self-esteem and respect for yourself ptdr, succumb like animals to your desires. We want someone mature and who knows what she wants”, for example commented a user on X (Twitter).
This shows how much the person does not respect themselves, become the empty balls of 50 guys and tell me that you have self-esteem and respect for yourself ptdr, succumb like animals to your desires. We want someone mature and who knows what she wants.
— Sunyata (@Sunyata_colibr) May 22, 2023
In short, women who are not virgins (those are placed in the box of prudes) or who have accumulated “too many” partners are (very) frowned upon, even considered a potential danger. A perception as old as the world, you might say (the “Don Juan” VS the “whore”). But that does mean that mentalities have (unfortunately) not changed that much…
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