By now you may have heard about the newest thinspo craze known as the “Bikini Bridge”. Now we’re learning that it’s really a hoax.

…Or is it?

It’s been pointed out that the photos featured online and in the media were very real. If you think about it, those type of poses are very familiar as ads are always featuring similarly thin and scantily clad models.

What also can’t be called a hoax is the message behind many of the images. The idea that if you don’t look a certain way as a woman, you have little value as a human being is sadly nothing new. It is something that women have been dealing with for a long long time, and it has only gotten worse in recent decades.

Also not surprising is how many men with wives, girlfriends, and young daughters are commenting on posts about the trend to declare that they don’t see the harm or “big deal”. Objectification of women has long been prioritized over the actual emotional harm it causes to women and girls, and it seems some people are determined to remain ignorant. However that doesn’t have to be you, especially as a “target”.

First it was a thigh gap and now a bikini bridge? People need to stop being obsessed.

— Fit Is Sexy ? (@GETTINGinSHAPEx) January 11, 2014

The bikini bridge is the new thigh gap is the new collarbone is the new I wanna lose 3 pounds. http://t.co/4OwTGcGhrT

— Betches Love This (@betchesluvthis) January 9, 2014

Just because this particular trend was traced back to 4chan does not mean that the next ludicrous body fixation won’t originate elsewhere, and with someone looking to actually profit from the impressionable and insecure young women of the world.

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So what really can be learned from the “Bikini Bridge” images and every other thinspo craze? Nothing good ever comes from letting unqualified strangers on the internet dictate your life choices and self-worth.

If you are determined to lose weight, it needs to be for your own reasons, not to fit any one else’s standards. If you are looking for guidance in order to lose a certain amount of weight, don’t look to “thinspo blogs”. Talk to your doctor and possibly see if you can be referred to a nutritionist or dietician. Consider getting a personal trainer. The bottom line is the people you want to be telling you about your body and the best way to care for it need to be the people with the education, qualifications and experience to back up their words.

At the end of the day, the internet is filled with harmful opinions and cruel individuals. It’s up to you to sort through it all in a sane and self-assured manner and separate what is useful from what is fodder.

Image via TomoNews US