Social Media Impact On Body Image

Throughout the recent decades, people have been obsessing more and more over their bodies and physical appearances. In the mainstream media, people described as “attractive” are the ones with thin figures, long hair, and perfect complexions (Media’s Influence on Beauty). If one is pleasing to the eye, one is accepted in society. However, the standards that social media is placing on body image today is becoming a big controversy. The media is responsible for creating the epitome of beauty and the perfect body image. “Images portrayed by the media tend to make people strive to be someone else's idea of perfect while subconsciously ignoring their own goals” (The Media and Body Image). People are suffering

Social media is becoming a toxic mirror not only to teenagers, but to everyone who is or has used it at some point in their life. Social media is known for having an impact on body confidence of the users. Most people who use social media of some sort are worried about cyberbullying, but that is not the only bad thing coming from the media. People all around the world are experiencing issues with their body image because of the pictures or posts they see on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Cleveland State University psychology professor Richard Perloff explains the connection between social media and body image by stating,“The interactive format and content features of social media, such as the strong peer presence and exchange

Throughout the years, the definition of beauty constantly changes. In our society today many children are told to be true to themselves, to be unique, to be who they are, etc.; But on the other hand social media and the celebrities on there are a constant reminder that there is a certain type of beautiful. The juxtaposition between being yourself and being what is “beautiful” has consistent grey areas and blurred lines making it almost impossible to keep up with what’s “beautiful”. The media, whether intentional or not, portrays this certain body image that you have to be in order to qualify as beautiful.

Social media creates an ideal body image in an adolescent’s mind that affects them in various ways. Having an ideal body image can lower self-esteem in some adolescents’ creating eating disorders, and this idea of getting plastic surgery as they get older. Social media is steadily increasing and has heavily influenced adolescent’s to be more aware of their body figure. As a result, many adolescent’s have developed low self-esteem due to the fact that social media continues promoting fit women and creating the idea that women need to be thin to be loved or accepted by society; this can cause harm to adolescent’s because they feel the need to fit in to society.

There are countless sources that show research on how girls’ body image is destroyed over time on social media. By middle school, 40-70 percent of students do not like how two or more of their body parts look (NYC). Over 70 percent of students out of highschool admit that they feel worse about their bodies after looking at their social media (Klein). It has also been found the body image hits “rock

As technology editing tools have become even more prevalent, many feel the need to excessively use photoshop before they share an image online. In a pervasive world where images of unrealistic standards fuel the media on how one should look, social media has one of the most significant impacts on body dissatisfaction. Throughout the last decade, social media has become one of the most common and favored ways for people to communicate, connect, and share. Thus, there have been many debates and discussions on whether the media has a positive or a negative impact on the way an individual perceives him or herself. As the rapid growth of smartphone usage among adolescents and adults has increased, social media has become an essential part of one’s daily life. In today's society, when most adolescents and adults turn on their smartphones, often times, the first thing they will refer to is a social media site. It has become a place where they are exposed to news, images, and expectations. Often times, these images, ideals, and expectations are ingrained in their brain and bombarded with what is considered to be beautiful. Moreover, these unrealistic standards will often lead to a form of comparison, influencing them to take extreme measures. Although social media serves as a platform where people can connect, communicate, and share, it has a negative impact on one’s body image, because it can lead to a lack of self confidence and severe

Authors Jakobsons, Simmons, and Kellas all agree on one basic idea, social media can affect teen’s mental health. Jakobsons and Kellas both argue that this age of visual platforms makes teens feel inadequate, compared to others. Comparisons can bring pressure to look perfect, resulting in a higher risk of anxiety and depression. Though Simmon’s dispute revolves more towards the negative body image teens can develop when looking at their feed, she also agrees on the ties it has with mental illness. However, unlike Jakobsons and Kellas, Simmons feels that teens should not be so easily bought in with the images they see on their screens, but should look with the same critical eye as seen through with movies and magazines. On the other hand, Kellas brings in the fact that social media, has made teens feel below average in beauty, intelligence and worth. Authors Jakobsons and Simmons both acknowledge that in order to help with the negative effects of social media parents should talk to their children about feeling confident and letting them know they are perfect the way they are.

Social media is used as a platform to popularize trends, leading to people trying to fit in. In the article Negative effects social media causes on body image by Katelyn Gaffney says “There is always some new trend to follow because of social media, which is forever changing. Showing what is “In” currently according to social media. Society is always shown something new in looks, fashion, and appearance in doing this women are always on their toes to fit the new standards caused by media. One month it could be large breast, and in a snap the new “In” could be completely flat chested. Today the biggest fad is being very curvy with a small waist. Before we could know it social media could change that to being extremely skinny with minimalistic

The most popular social media outlet Facebook has been linked to body image according to recent research. Several correlational studies have examined the relationship between social media usage and body image. Studies on pre-teenage girls and female high school students have found that Facebook users report more drive for thinness, internalization of the thin-ideal, and body surveillance, self-objectification, and appearance comparisons than do non-users (Fardouly and Vartanian). Teens that subject themselves to Facebook are influenced by the images that they see. These “ideal images” motivate teens to pursue ways of achieving these “ideal body images”.

Richard M. Perloff wrote a research article about the effects social media has on young women’s body images. He mainly focuses on the theoretical perspectives and also does an agenda for research. Media has played a major role in teens’ lives for a while now and is becoming extremely popular. In both good and bad ways, social media has become a part of people’s life whether they appreciate it or not.

As technology editing tools have become easier to use, many people have felt obligated to go on a photoshop epidemic every time they share an image to the world of social media. In a pervasive world where images of unrealistic standards fuel over the media on how one should look, social media has one of the most significant impacts in body dissatisfaction in today’s society. Throughout the last decade, social media has become one of the most common and favored ways for people to communicate, connect, and share. Thus, there have been many debates and discussions on whether social media has a positive or a negative impact in the way an individual perceive themselves. With the rapid growth and rise of smartphone usage among adolescents and young adults, social media outlets have become an essential part of one’s daily life. Today, when adolescents and young adults turn on their smartphones, often times, the first thing they will refer to is a social media site. It has become a place where they are exposed to news, images, and expectations. Thus, often times, these images, ideals, and expectations are ingrained in their brain and bombarded with what is considered to be beautiful in today’s society. Moreover, these unrealistic standards will often lead to a form of comparison, influencing them to take extreme measures. Although social media serves as a platform where people can connect, communicate, and share, it has a negative impact on one’s body image because it can lead to a

As a result of the pressures to obtain the image portrayed in the media, we start to develop low self esteem and body related issues. For instance, the models and movie stars on television all influence our mindset believe or not. We see their clear skin, thin physics and idealize them. Some become obsessed with the idea of “perfection” and start to alter their own appearance to reach it. Eating disorders have dramatically increased over the years due to the media’s effect on people’s minds. Examples of negative teen body image are everywhere. There are several forms of media; such as television, print, broadcast, radio, talk, and the internet. Social network sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube are all outlets teenagers go to

Today’s world has a problem with body image issues. Especially in younger girls and women. They are told by everyone that they are not good enough, not skinny enough, and even not pretty enough. Everyone see’s the super skinny models on the cover of magazines, and on tv, and wants to look just like them. But, what many people do not realize is that it is all fake, and they are harming themselves, not helping.

Social media has become a part of everyone’s life. The media gives people the opportunity to communicate with families, friends and it also provides the opportunity to meet new people. Furthermore, the media gives you the opportunity to share your most intimate inner thoughts, your picture, and your activity. Nevertheless, the media has had an enormous impact on the way people do the things, and it influences how we shop and is changing the way we look.

Social media has become one of the most popular sources of communication for the upcoming generation. For young people growing up in today’s society, social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have provided pictures and news that have become the first thing that their eyes see in the morning and the last thing that they see before bed. These pictures have provided unrealistic standards as to what is considered beautiful in today’s society. As young people refer to these images as a form of comparison, it has created harmful circumstances. These influences on the lives of young people have forced them to take extreme measures and in some cases, has been the cause of death. Social media in today’s society has proven to