Breaking down the controversial ‘Slavic Doll Diet’ trend on TikTok

The Slavic Doll Diet is a TikTok trend popularized by femme content creators who praise it as a healthy lifestyle diet with a buckwheat base. The diet is tied to the concept of the "Slavic Doll body," which has raised accusations of links to disordered eating habits.

However, many Slavic women have noted that buckwheat, along with other ingredients featured in the trend, is neither a typical component of the modern Slavic diet, nor a traditional staple.

What are Slavic dolls, and what is the Slavic doll diet?

The concept of the Slavic Doll idolizes the stereotypical look of a Slavic, often Russian, woman by wearing furs, heavy makeup, and other Eastern European iconography. The trend focuses on the aesthetic look and has been linked with disordered eating habits as women try to fit a certain overly thin look for their social media posts.

The trend is an example of the type of eating disorder glorification commonly seen on the web, and which The Atlantic notes has seen a resurgence in recent years as creators find ever-increasing ways of skirting content moderation policies across platforms, and as certain platforms (X) have stopped enforcing such policies altogether.

The Slavic doll diet, according to TikTokers, consists of buckwheat, fried eggs, uncooked vegetables, and avocado. This combination is mixed on one plate, typically unseasoned and with nothing to bind everything together.

What is the Slavic Doll Diet TikTok trend?

The Slavic Doll Diet trend seems to break down into two general categories: Videos of Slavs arguing that the foods promoted in these videos are not accurate examples of how a Slav eats, and videos promoting unhealthy eating under the guise of a regional traditional dish. There are currently over 11K TikTok videos posted under the hashtag #slavicdoll.

In one viral example of the TikTok trend, Dani Cole (@danicolexx) shows herself rapidly tossing various ingredients onto a plate while staring down at the camera: buckwheat, vegetables, a couple of fried eggs, and avocado. In the text overlay, she wrote, "POV eating like a slavic doll."

@danicolexx Buckwheat and avocado is so good #foodtok #slavicgirl #diet #whatiate #slavicdoll ♬ son original - FYP 🤍🇲🇺

Her video, which has been viewed over 6.1 million times since being published on Nov. 20, 2024, has gone viral for the plate being filled with a majority of items that folks in central and eastern Europe wouldn’t claim to be a part of their cuisine.

Many of the viral videos around the Slavic Doll Diet trend focus on buckwheat as the main part of the dish.

TikToker Angelina (@gr.angelinaa) did a cooking video showing how she cooked her Slavic Doll meal, and when someone who said they are Slavic commented they didn’t know what buckwheat was, she replied, "How can you be Slavic and not know what buckwheat is."

@gr.angelinaa finally posting a recepie for you guys 🫶🏻💗 #slavicdolldiet #slavic #viral #diet #skinny #buckwheat #popular #skinny ♬ Sideways Freekaleek - JAYBeatz

Another TikToker from Ukraine shared in a comment that they and their mother prepare buckwheat in the same manner as Angelina, highlighting that not all individuals grouped under an umbrella term share the same traditions or culinary practices.

Controversy around the Slavic doll diet

The major issue with the Slavic doll diet trend appears to be the fact that the women who post about this diet are focused on it as a way to become thinner. The phrase "Slavic doll" has become a code word on social media for talking about eating disorders without mentioning them explicitly, which is a common way for people on social media to get around their posts being automatically flagged by moderation controls.

According to an article published by MSN on Nov. 14, 2024, "This hashtag [#katemoss] references the harmful words of English supermodel Kate Moss, who once stated, 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.' Some of the videos in the 'Slavic doll' trend use a recording of this quote as an audio backdrop."

Social media reacts

Slavic folks on social media shared their surprise at the Slavic Doll Diet trend and began posting videos and photos of their "real" traditional foods. 

TikToker Sysia (@sylwiacurylo) posted a video in which she holds a plate filled with fried foods and pickles and looks at the camera ironically. In the caption, she wrote in Polish, "My mother didn’t raise chickens, plant potatoes and make pickles so that America can think our 'Slavic diet' is buckwheat, egg and avocado."

@sylwiacurylo change my mind #slavicgirl #slavicdiet #kaszagryczana #jajko #awokado #egg #avocado #poland #america #buckwheat ♬ оригинальный звук - 14prosto_marta

Many of the Slavic people posting videos debunking the popular TikTok trend use the same sound, a song by @trendformusic.

According to the website Notes From Poland, "Buckwheat is believed to have been brought to Poland by the Tatars, a Turkic ethnic group, and has been cultivated in the country since the 15th century. Contrary to popular belief, it is actually not a cereal but is often treated as one due to its similarities to cereals."

They go on to share some of the Polish dishes that do include buckwheat, which "usually include some combination of bacon or lard, onion, pickles, beetroot, and mushroom sauce and are often served with a glass of soured milk or kefir. Buckwheat is also used in the Polish version of blood sausages, more popular among older generations of Poles."

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