Tragic Death of Moroccan TikTok Star Sparks Debate on Weight Loss Surgery Tourism

Victim of serious complications that occurred after a gastric bypass operation, Moroccan influencer Salma Tibou passed away in a Turkish clinic. Her dream of losing weight, getting rid of obesity and improving her life has turned into a nightmare. Before her death, the young Moroccan woman appeared in poignant videos filmed from the hospital. She shared with her TikTok subscribers (more than a million and a half followers on the TikTok app) her moments of weakness and suffering. She had even asked them to pray for her.

The death of Salma has moved her fans and content creators. They paid tribute to her with words full of sadness. They wanted to emphasize that the influencer was trying to improve her health and psychological state in a context of social pressures and constant harassment. Her death has also revived concerns about weight loss-related surgical procedures, especially those performed abroad, in establishments that often lack the minimum standards of medical supervision.

Some internet users did not hesitate to criticize the influencers who promote such operations without alerting their subscribers to the dangers they can pose, particularly for adolescents or people in psychological fragility.