Unrealistic Beauty Standards Infiltrated by Social Media
In the 21st century, it is
difficult to escape the world of social media and the impact it has on the
standards relating to body image. The pressures of body image has always been
prominent within society through the fashion and advertising world, but it has
now amplified into a much greater issue than it once was. We are facing a world
where young children have access to the detriments of social media and the
mental health concerns have increased to a skyrocketing percent. is the
constant remind that woman and men face of not looking the same as these
picture perfect models seen on magazines and social media.
Teens and young adults are the
individuals that are faced with mental illness's due to the impact of the
societal standards and social media. Some mental illnesses include depression,
body dysmorphia, eating disorders, anorexia, and many more. In 2018 alone, 2.7%
of teens starting at the age of 13-18 have had an eating disorder and 4% of
adolescence and teens aged 13-18 suffer from anorexia, bulimia, or binge
eating disorders in the U.S alone. It is alarming that teens are being faced
with these illnesses as young as 13-years-old.
Who’s fault is it? Is it the
fault of social media and fashion industry? Do we blame photoshop? Or is it the
pressures of society? Who do we blame here?
Social media is heavily influenced by the trends in the fashion industry. Although fashion has been around for many years, the trends and styles of fashion have changed tremendously throughout the decades, but one specific aspect of fashion has always stayed the same. The models. Throughout the years the models have had one specific characteristic in common, their weight. The ideal measurements of models that were sought out by fashion industries include, a height of 5’9, very slim fit, 33 inches around the bust, 23 inches around the waist, and 33 inches around the hips with an average weight of about 114 lbs. These measurements are not realistic, but it is the measurements that many young females desire. This is where mental illness stem from for majority of young adults and adolescents, it is the constant reminder that we should “look” like what we see on tv, in magazines, or on social media. In the world of technology that we live in today, young kids are being given the luxury of having phones, tablets, and iPads, as they explore social media, they become consumed by what is viewed on the internet. With their time constantly on social media they begin to compare themselves to what they see which is extremely detrimental to their overall health at such a young age.
Here is a video about the in depth look on the detriments of social media in teens.
"Social Media Impact on eating disorder" (Denver7 News, Youtube)
Photoshop is a system that is
used by many magazine editors and social media influencers to blur out their
own imperfections so they can be seen as though they are always perfect. Photoshop
has been used for many years now and is used to thin out many celebrities on
the front covers of magazines to fit the ideology of how celebrities should be
which are thin, tall, and flawless No imperfections visible at all. Many celebrities
have called out these specific magazine editors such as Jennifer Lawrence, Lili
Reinhart and Katy Perry are just some celebrities who went viral on social
media for exposing the edited photos of themselves.
"Katy Perry Photoshop for Rolling Stone magazine cover" (Google Images)
It is difficult for many of us to
understand or to come to realization that this is not how celebrities are seen
in real life. Their images are not what realistic woman look like.
My mother was a woman that had
experienced this firsthand and as her daughter I have struggled with the repercussions
of her illness. In the 1980’s was a time were being thin was the only body type
that was seen as “healthy”. During that time, my mother was in her early 20’s where
she realized that the only thing that mattered to her was how she looked. She was
so consumed by the magazines and the models on the front cover that she found
herself purging of everything she ate. She had a weight of less than 100 lbs at
around 24 years old with a height of 5 ft 2 in. Few years pass by and her
bulimia had not gotten any better, though mental illness was such a taboo
subject during that time she did not seek the proper help to fully recover of her
illness. Fast forwarding to a few years later she than had 2 beautiful girls
with the man of her dreams but the illness still haunts her to this day. As the
daughter of an individual with previous history of bulimia, I had to endure a
lot of pain and suffering when growing up. My mother would not see me as me but
would see me as her daughter who is ‘overweight’. She would never not remind me
of how she used to be ‘less than 100 lbs before she got married’ or that when
she was my age, she was a lot skinnier than I am. This took a huge toll in my life;
it is hard to see her struggle many years later with the same illness even
though she is as perfect as she is and with the body she has she birthed 2
children. It is not just the individual that goes through the illness but it is
also felt by the loved ones surrounding you.
A quote said by Amy Bloom, “You
are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.” This is
admirably a quote that I now tend to live my life by and should be lived by
everyone in the world.
It is difficult to see someone
see themselves so different than how you see them. You could view them exceptionally
perfect in your eyes. This illness should not be taken lightly as it takes the
lives of many every single day. But what can we do about it? We need to change
the societal views of how we see people that are thin. The industry of fashion
should be more inclusive with their models in order to fit the many different
skin types, body types and the scares and stretch marks that are so natural to
the human body. We need to avoid the art of photo retouching in order to not
take away the visualization of how men and women are seen in real life. We are
all different and we are all perfect.
References
Centerpolaristeen.com/articles/author/aribrown/, Polaris Teen. “Teen Eating Disorders: Statistics and How to Help - Polaris Teen Center.” Polaris Teen Center: Premier Adolescent Treatment Center in Los Angeles, 28 Mar. 2019, https://polaristeen.com/articles/10-statistics-of-teenage-eating-disorders
7NewsDenver. “Social Media's Impact on Eating Disorders.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Aug. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLsWnaisRr4
“46 Love Yourself Quotes To Carry You Through Tough Times.” Our Mindful Life, 26 Aug. 2020, www.ourmindfullife.com/loving-yourself-quotes
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