Nadya Okamoto had the perfect costume for her friend’s Rihanna-themed birthday party: a likeness of the pregnant pop star in black lingerie, based on her iconic outfit at Paris Fashion Week. Okamoto was not pregnant but her belly was distended: “I literally had a watermelon-sized bloat,” she said. The 26-year-old TikTok creator is vocal about her digestive issues.
A video Okamoto posted of the Rihanna costume, showing her “bloated, poo-filled belly,” has amassed 3.8 million views. “This made me feel so much better!!” one commenter wrote.
“I’ve had a bloated stomach since I was little and I was so insecure about it today.” Okamoto is one of many young, female creators who are documenting and discussing bloating on the app, filming their distended bellies. Some attribute the issue to menstruation or constipation, while many others just describe it as mysterious and painful.
Around 158,000 TikTok posts feature the #bloating or #bloated hashtags. The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the rise or reach of the trend. Women have discussed bloating across various forums for many decades, but the recent uptick is part of a broader focus on gut health, arising from research about the importance of good bacteria in the gut.
Many recent TikTok videos about bloating encourage viewers not to dismiss it as normal or benign. And plenty of wellness influencers now promote “gut-healthy” products or share hacks for improving digestive issues..