An influencer who is allegedly earning six figures monthly by running a social media group for extreme diets is facing criticism and limitations on earning through Meta.
Liv Schmidt, a 23-year-old New York City-based model, is encountering significant backlash after creating a profitable online business centered on extreme dieting, as covered by The Cut‘s E.J. Dickson.
Through her subscription-only Instagram group, the “Skinni Sociéte,” Schmidt makes an estimated $130,000 per month by promoting a form of “clean eating” to its 6,500 paying subscribers, according to Air Mail.
Many of the members are supposedly teenagers despite the group’s 18-plus policy.
After the publication of The Cut‘s report, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone announced restrictions to Schmidt’s account.
“This account is no longer able to offer subscriptions or use any of our monetization tools. And we restricted it so it’s only visible to people over 18,” Stone tweeted on Friday (May 23).
Schmidt’s group, which was characterized by former subscribers as a “little cult of being skinny,” charged $20 monthly for access to exclusive content, including meal diaries, workout routines, and “Skinni Secrets” shared via group chats.
One of the concerning reports about the group described members competing with each other to see who can eat the least or walk the most, sometimes by logging over 27,000 steps in a day or sharing food logs with reportedly less than 1,000 calories.
Reports of dizziness, hair loss, and missed periods are supposedly common.
“None of the members in the group said, ‘Maybe you should chill out,'” said a 37-year-old former member using the pseudonym “Emma.” “They just recommended hair vitamins to each other.”
Despite claiming she doesn’t promote disordered eating, Schmidt would apparently encourage members with messages like, “You’re not restricting. You’re ‘regulating.’ It’s chic.”
In another post, Schmidt allegedly told her followers to “eat like your next weigh-in is tomorrow,” and criticized other women for “hiding” behind sundresses to cover their “puffy face and bloated bodies.”
“It feels like everyone is enabling each other’s eating disorders,” said another former member, 20-year-old “Annie,” who was in recovery for anorexia.
“It was extremely competitive—who could eat less, who weighed less, who was living the most ‘skinni’ lifestyle,” she added.
Schmidt was banned from TikTok last fall after The Wall Street Journal asked the platform for comment on a story about her, but the setback has seemingly only boosted her popularity and helped her secure a glowing profile in conservative magazine Evie.
Schmidt is apparently still growing her reach with ambassador programs, gift cards, and “candlelit Pilates” experiences for those who promote the group.
