Social Media and Body Image
In our appearance-focused society, social media has unquestionably heightened how we scrutinize our bodies. Instagram features photos of celebrities and models with impossibly trim figures on its "explore" page and Snapchat displays an excessive amount of "stories" revolved around celebrity bodies. It seems like I can't go a day without opening the application to find a story on the "featured" page about Kim or Kylie's covetable curves. Seeing these posts on social media is inevitable and if I had a dollar for every Instagram model's profile I came across, I would certainly be very wealthy. The hyper-exposure to images of the "perfect" body undeniably takes a toll on those of us who don't quite meet social media and furthermore society's, idea of what an attractive physique is. Not only that, the idea is highly unattainable for most people. After all, not everyone can have proportions like Beyoncé.
We compare ourselves to these people with tight tummies, toned legs, tiny waists, hips of the perfect width and flawless faces and it's flat out unrealistic. There is a very real lack of representation in all forms of media, but that's a story for a different day. We feel dissatisfied with ourselves because we don't live up to these ideals and in some cases that dissatisfaction can even lead to eating disorders. According to Park Nicollet Melrose Center, 80 percent of American women aren't happy with their appearance. The Park Nicollet Melrose Center states that women are also more prone to having body image issues, but men's body image can be distorted just as easily. The pressure social media puts on us to look a certain way is completely unacceptable.
To counteract this epidemic of body dissatisfaction, many brands with a large presence on social media have dedicated campaigns solely to promoting good body image. For example, Aerie created the "Aerie Real" campaign in which they use models with normal and realistic body types and don't do any type of retouching to their advertisement photos. Dove is another brand who is contributing to this movement with the "Real Beauty" campaign which features women of all types in their advertisements. We need more brands to use their influence for good to empower people of all shapes, sizes and colors.
Above all, it's important to put health over vanity. Healthy for me probably looks very different than healthy looks for you or Kim Kardashian. We need to strive to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be as people, not to look like other people. That's just serious nonsense. Society's idea of the "perfect" body is just a façade; we are all more than how we appear on the exterior.
Comment your thoughts on social media's effect on body image below! And as always ...
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Casey
It is a terrible thing that this is a part of our culture. For the most part people can look at certain models/celebrities and agree that for the vast majority of the population these figures are not achievable in a healthy or realistic manner. As you mentioned there are some brands that are trying to do good and I hope to see more follow. If more were to get on board it would be great if those with the influence to do so would make a point of the importance of overall wellness including physical health and positive body image rather than the standard being set by the media.
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