Social Media's Negative Effects On Body Image

Social media has a big influence on this generation when it comes to “body image.” Many women, or “models,” will post pictures of themselves showing off their body with thousands of likes and many comments saying “body goals” or “I wish I looked like that.” This

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.

Approximately 14 million U.S. teenage girls don’t like how they look. The number of women who feel confident in their bodies is dwindling quickly and is being fueled by edited pictures they are comparing themselves to on social media. The Time magazine article “How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror” by Rachel Simmons tells of the risk for everyone to feel self-conscious about their bodies. However, those most at risk are teenage girls who spend a significant amount of time on any form of social media. In response to the article, I agree with the negative effects social media has on the body image of teenage girls because I have seen girls trying to change their bodies. I also see the effects logos and pathos have on the strength of the article and what would make it a stronger and more credible source for information on teen body image.

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 topic that I will be focusing on for my isu is how does social media have an effect of teenagers body image. My topic is significant to society because people growing up in this generation grew up around the internet. The internet gives us resources to many things that would not have been easily accessed ten years before. While the internet can prove to be beneficial in some cases, it can also cause problems. Social media allows people to share their opinions worldwide and get responses, it is a way of communication. Social media is also a fast way to discover new trends and find out what is currently in. This is a way for teenagers to stay up to date. However, social media is quick to create an ideal ‘body image’ that one must have in

Finally, social media has become a way individuals negatively judge themselves as inferior to others. Americans have taken extreme actions to live up to the impractical social expectations. This is connected to self-esteem and to the individual’s emotions. People change their image for society acceptance, and personal acceptance, because many want to fit the image social media says is right. An article published by CNN states that “the more time adolescent spent on Facebook, the more likely they were to develop a negative body image and eating disorders” (Mary). A person’s body changes from day to day, a lot of people think they are overweight, ugly, etc. which in reality they almost certainly aren’t. They are used to what society says one

The media has always been a part of our daily lives and how it how it has affected everyone’s lives to change.. It’s very common for everyone to go through the feeling that their body isn't good enough for we are surrounded by the media. These statistics demonstrate that ‘“The average american is exposed to at least three thousand ads every day and will spend three years of his or her life watching television commercials’” (Hinds 23). This demonstrates how its hard to avoid the media and few people that can actually stay away from the media and feel at peace. Also the media demonstrates these bodies that are being set up as a standard made for everyone else to follow these “Images of these “ideals” can be seen everywhere not only is the “perfect”

I strongly disagree with the images that the media presents to our society about appearance. The media constantly portrays this image of the perfect body that everyone compares themselves to. According to the website, National Eating Disorder, 70% of women aged 18-30 aren’t confident with their own bodies. The media does not only shame women, but 43% of men are also unsatisfied with their body. There is clear unfair treatment as no one should be judged by their appearance, and there shouldn’t be any standards to fit. This illustrates exactly how the media negatively influences our society about their appearances.

How does body image affect a person’s well being? A person’s body image is the way they perceive their body, including thoughts, emotions, behaviour and attitude towards the perceived mental image of their body. Many teenagers become obsessed with their body and how it appears to themselves and others. With all the various sources of distorted media, it is easy for people of all ages to develop negative body image, which can lead to unhealthy measures. The fashion industry has a major influence due to the fact that it is the very thing that puts clothes on our backs.

As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Many women and men often find themselves obsessed with comparison to others. People often look at themselves in the mirror and think that they are not good enough, and that they are not pretty or skinny. Social media plays a huge role in this. Celebrities’ photos can be so fake and edited on social media to the point where the photo does not even look like them. Young women and girls spend so much time on social media and this is all they see. It is no wonder that their self esteem is so low. They are looking at pictures of unrealistic bodies for hours and hours on end. A recent poll by CNN stated that, Thirty five percent of young women and girls, are worried about other

In today’s world, people spend more and more time behind a screen on a device that is constantly streaming media. Though it seems like it may have no effect, Social media, social interactions and environment can play a huge role in peoples’ self-esteem and body-image. Peoples’ self-image is negatively affected by social and environmental factors because they create unrealistic body images that are widely advertised by social media, they shape our schemas, and these social interactions therefore push people to do things to fix their bodies.

Body image and body positivity are hotly contested and flamboyant issues in today's society and more seemingly technologically-savvy general public. Many people are becoming more and more affected by the demeaning effects social media can have on one's body image. Social media, and especially its overuse, can affect how women view themselves, often times leading to mental health problems and even severe eating disorders. However, differences between body image and self-esteem must be stipulated. Both terms are are similar, but different. Body image is how one views and feels about their body, while self-esteem is how one views themselves as a person overall. Body image is just a part of the multiple aspects that self-esteem entails. Body image, however, is often referred to in a negative manner, even though positive body image does exist (this is also called body positivity). The question that begs to be asked, though, is what are the effects of social media use on body image in young women? There is a strong correlation between social media use and body image issues. With the increased number of social media applications for mobile use in western culture, the number of body image issues among young women has also seemingly increased (Perloff). Despite this correlation, social media alone does not cause body image dissatisfaction, instead, it contains the tools that allow for ideas of inferior body image and certain ideals to be fester.

As smartphone and media editing tools have become easier to use, many people have felt the need to go on a photoshop epidemic every time they upload 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 biggest impacts in body dissatisfaction in today’s society. Throughout the last generation, social media has become one of the most common and favored ways to communicate, connect, and share. With the rapid growth of smartphone usage among adolescents and teenagers, social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat have become an essential part to their daily live. Today, when adolescent and teenagers 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 and expectations are Although social media can help boost and motivate one’s confidence 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 lack of self confidence, health problems,, and depression.

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 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 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. Today, 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 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 lack of self confidence and severe health conditions.

“Experts believe that today, more than ten million women and girls suffer from anorexia, bulimia, or related illnesses, with the onset of such problems occurring in patients of younger and younger ages." (Ballaro, 2017, p.) When I was 13 years of age, I started to have a very negative self image. I hated what I looked like, and this eventually lead me to having an eating disorder. I would go online and do research on different diets and how to get a thigh gap and how to lose a large amount of weight in the shortest amount of time. I would also go on social media and find pictures of underweight girls as ‘motivation’ to help me stay focused on losing too much weight. We are greatly influenced by the unrealistic expectations of how we should look from social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Even though other factors may play a part in having a low body image, social media negatively affects body image because what is popular on social media, such as pictures of thin models, can be harmful to a person's body satisfaction.