How social media affects body image

Questions of body image have come up repeatedly in relation to the exponential rise in social media usage. Most recently, you may have seen a focus in national media around the subject during Mental Health Awareness Week. So, why is it important to discuss this? 

We all know that it’s tough out there. As more sociologists and commentators critique the incredibly fast pace of life in our society, one of the consequences highlighted relates to the effects of constant updates on our screens on our mental health.

And this has a lot to do with consumers. As people, our insecurities take centre stage when we see picture-perfect – no, let’s be honest – unrealistic portrayals of bodies on our social media feeds.  

It’s a bit tricky to pin down the effects of seeing unachievable bodies and lives of influencers that we follow. These influencers can be celebrities in their own right, or people we have come to admire for their beauty and/or successes. They seem to have impeccable apartments, beautiful pets, endless shopping sprees, with their seemingly perfect bodies.

 Fortunately, as a society we are beginning to question what a perfect body stands for and whether a standard model can exist. Turns out, not so much. It is not really feasible for everyone to look the way some of these influencers do, and there have been some really heart-breaking stories of young people who try to emulate what they see.

The truth is, the questions of body image have always been discussed – think actors and the overall film industry, for example – but these have now just gained more prominence thanks to social media. 

The crux of the issue

So, what’s at the heart of the problem? Reports show that a lot of social media users try to look like the people on their social media streams. The number of likes and compliments on photos posted on these platforms motivates people and raises their self-esteem.

These motivations are rooted in our natural desire to be liked, to be perceived as someone with the perfect life. Given the adrenaline boost one receives per like or comment, sadly we tend to misjudge the effort that goes into actual, tangible, achievable success.

It is truly a reflection of our own insecurities which is finally being questioned more. The trouble with this phenomenon is that the celebrity lifestyle – one of glamour, access, and wealth – now seems achievable to most of us.

 And don’t get me wrong, some of us have worked hard to be that famous and rich at a young age. But it doesn’t always work out the same way for everyone.

Due to the way social algorithms work, we tend to only focus on what we are shown, instead of thinking about how the person we admire got there.

Body image relates to how we like to be perceived. In these instances, the wealth and ‘perfect’ body types (sadly, only the ultra-thin type) get glorified and presented as a symbol of success. Of course, much is changing now, but historically so.

The conversation

I can’t help but mention that constructive conversations do take place in this space. The good people at Dove ran the ‘Real Beauty’ ad campaign to target the unrealistic body image and standards in our society and stand up for the ‘normal’ body - the message being that there isn’t one and we should love ourselves as we are.

Sadly, those unrealistic standards continue to exist, and social media has made them even more accessible to young, impressionable minds.

These unrealistic body ideals are the reason why supermodels have come under scrutiny for the kind of diets and lifestyles they promote.

These unrealistic body ideals are the reason phrases like ‘beach body’ (and recent ad campaigns based on them) have been critiqued.

These unrealistic body ideals are the reason so many slimming products continue to appear on supermarket shelves until some good soul draws everyone’s attention to the harm they can cause.

Come to think of it, these body ideals are really cultural, stressing on what one must look like.

Social media, unfortunately, amplifies this. There exists a tendency to promote the idealised and unachievable body size based on the ‘likes’ received by a person on the basis of how they look.

This sends a dangerous message to young folks that they must look the same to be as popular on social media, and therefore liked in the real world.

This has an undesirable impact on people’s mental health, because it leads to dissatisfaction with how one looks and the difference in how they wish to be perceived.

You are loved

I can only hope that the current (and extremely important) conversations about diversity stress on these issues more and more and we can learn to look at people for who they are, instead of what they look like on their social media channels.

If we can do this, we might be able to talk about body image in a more positive way and celebrate people for who they are.

As people and professionals who contribute to the sea of content on social media, I always aim to be more positive about who I am and remember what is not achievable for me - and that it ultimately doesn’t matter. I am loved.

I am happy the way I am and do not wish to add to the pressures on young people to follow the game of validation through likes and positive comments from strangers. Can you join me in this sentiment?