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Body Image by Perla D Body Image by Perla D. J. Media as always played a significant role in the problematic standards on body imagery. Whether it is cinema, journalism, and fashion, high standards were set on people’s beauty and body complexions. Social media did not change this pattern. The rise of social media has had a significant negative impact on people’s perceptions of their bodies, especially with teenagers. I. The Truth About Social Media A lot of people might argue how convenient and positive social media has become over the last few years. However, most of them tend to overlook a key point about the true reality of social media on body image perception. A study from the article Body Image investigated how body dissatisfaction is highly prevalent among young women on Facebook. They surveyed 227 young college women and found that “young women who spend more time on Facebook may feel more concerned about their body because they compare their appearance to others (especially to peers) on Facebook” 1. On the other hand, teenagers often rely on inspirational figures, or what we call “influencers”, to satisfy their unrealistic ideals about body positivity and body image. Kylie Jenner, one of the most influential figures on Instagram, was just 16 when she got her first shot of lip filler. Today, girls as young as 16 go to dermatologists for lip injections. Kylie Jenner is not to blame for that, but the standards of having a “perfect body”— and how people like Kylie are considered “perfect”— can have a lot of power on someone’s mind and life. People who follow figures like Kylie believe that having a body or facial feature like her will make them “pretty”. II. What Role Does School Play in Body Image? On the middle school, high school, or college levels, findings suggest that children as young as three years old can have body image issues.3 Not only do students receive educational advancement, but schools place equal value on social experiences. Students are often focused on trying to “fit in” among their classmates and school environment which can lead to consequences on their mental and physical health. Many students admit to feeling the pressure to have a good body, whether to fit into a certain clique or meet the weight standards of an athletic team.4 The school job’s is to not only provide academic support to students, but to also support their social interactions and mental state. According to Mentally Healthy Schools5, some actions schools can take to promote body positivity are: ● Training school/college staff to recognize the early signs that may suggest a student is struggling with body dissatisfaction or has unhealthy views of body image. As well as staff being aware of the language they use when talking about body size, shape, and appearance with each other and student, to avoid reinforcing negative views of body image or stereotypes. ● Develop effective policies and practices that do not tolerate appearance-related teasing, such as body shaming, and support children and young people who are teased or bullied because of their appearance, body size or shape, or ethnicity. ● Educate parents and careers on how they can positively influence their children’s feelings about their bodies. ● Reinforce positive body image messaging through making sure that classroom and school/college posters, pictures, books, music, toys and other materials are diverse in terms of body size, shape, height, skin color, abilities and disabilities, etc. ● Encourage pupils to explore the pros and cons of social media. Develop children’s digital literacy skills by helping them to think critically about how people are portrayed in the media and through social media. ● Explore what it feels like to be healthy, rather than what it looks like. Encourage healthy food choices and emphasize the role of food as fuel. III. Impact of Social Media in Teen’s Perception of Their Bodies. Two of the most common body image disorders in teenagers are body dysmorphia and eating disorders. Social media isn't known to cause these disorders but carries a risk of intensifying existing conditions. According to Project Know, a nonprofit organization designed to help people with addictive behaviors, “social media can exacerbate eating disorders and may trigger or worsen certain genetic or psychological predispositions”6. The same situation is found when it comes to Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and how social media isn’t the cause of such disorder, but it definitely has a significant impact when it comes to the intensity of which the disorder can reach. According to The Teen Magazine, “Seeing someone online looking perfect can cause one to become painfully aware of their own flaws, both real or imagined. This can lead people to become uncomfortable with the way they naturally look.”7 People tend to argue that social media can have a positive impact on teens and their perception of body image. Some might say that social media is an “inclusive space”6 for people who might not be accepting and loving toward themselves. However, by influencing kids to meet unrealistic standards of beauty7, social media is only making them believe there is something wrong with their bodies. IV. Ways to Prevent Body Image Issues Even if there has not been a solution or any ideal practice, we can follow to prevent body image, research offers great tips on how to maintain a positive body perception. The BBC’s great tip is recommending that social media users renovate their feeds and the people they follow. Following people who bring you peace and happiness is better than following people who give you second thoughts about yourself. Other tips to maintain a positive self-body perception from Forbes: ● Unfollow or unfriend accounts that try to sell you products with their bodies… ● Keep up with accounts that promote healthy living with accurate information… ● Tap into the way body-positive influencers treat body image… ● Avoid speaking negatively about your body, especially in real life… ● Disconnect from social media to be active… An important takeaway from all of this is to always keep in mind that nobody is perfect. People will always find ways to make us doubt ourselves. Recognizing the pros and cons of social media and its effect on our self-esteem will prevent us from toxifying ourselves with the standards imposed by society on how we should and should not look. .
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