

Social media has become an integral part of daily life for a very large percentage of our world’s population, with most of the users at an age where their minds and attitudes are very impressionable. Because the vast majority of social media users are younger adults and teenagers, it is vital that they understand both the positive and negative effects of mass media. Many forms of social media are guilty of causing mental health problems in young adults and are guilty of affecting the way people view their bodies. A few of the aspects of mass media that cause these problems are body shaming, intense photo-shopping/editing of models in advertisements, and lastly, advertisements promoting extreme measures to improve one’s physical appearance. These issues call for better body representation in media and an end to the stigma that individuals without certain idolized body shapes are not attractive. Throughout this argument, the terms social media and mass media are used interchangeably. Mass media includes all forms of media, such as magazines, advertisements, commercials, etc., and it also includes social media. Social media refers to specific social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. 

In the past few years, many new social media platforms have become available to the youth of the world. Nowadays, their minds and mental health are not just being influenced by advertisements, television, movies, and magazines, but they are also being influenced by their peers in an online setting. Social media has essentially become a toxic mirror. Young girls look to their number of Instagram followers, amount of likes and comments, or snapchat scores and transform those numbers into a measure of self-worth. A Common Sense survey entitled “Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image” found that both male and female teenagers who are active online worry about how they are perceived. Girls are especially vulnerable to this mindset and the results of this survey show that 37% of the surveyed girls are worried about being tagged in unattractive photos, 27% stressed about how they look in already posted photos, and 22% felt bad about themselves if they thought their photos were being ignored (Knorr). This reliance on social media for self-assurance is both dangerous and unhealthy due to the amount of photo editing apps that many teens use in order to ‘perfect’ their bodies before posting online similarly to how models and celebrities are airbrushed and photo shopped before their images are released to the public. It is practically common knowledge that models and celebrities are photo-shopped due to many celebrities speaking up about the issue. In addition, multiple clothing companies, such as American Eagle/Aerie, have launched campaigns stating that they now use models that more “natural” and they also claim that these models are unedited. However, most people do not realize that their peers edit their pictures so that they can match society’s definition of beauty. Although adolescents realize that celebrities are edited and that they should not look to them as realistic body shapes, they do not realize that they should do the same with their peers because their peers are most likely edited as well. This causes an “if he/she looks like that, why can’t I?” attitude which can, in fact, affect body image more so than looking at celebrities or models (Galley). Celebrities and models are idolized and seen as a different caliber of person, but seeing someone in the same socioeconomic bracket as you, someone maybe at your high school, that looks like the models on the cover of magazines makes teens feel worse than seeing Kylie Jenner post her latest Instagram selfie. 

Mass media allows its users access to a plethora of concerning content that has been linked to a negative effect on body image and mental health. At the same time, mass media is also one of many culprits of a continually rising obesity rate. In more recent years, the component of mass media that has been blamed for having the most influence on body image has been social media. However, before the days of social media, television was the main constituent behind unrealistic standards of physical beauty. Television, while it has many benefits, is a part of our everyday lives that can both help and harm us. Although it provides entertainment and information, it has, in combination with other things, led to obesity as well as eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. In 2006, the average child spent four hours per day watching television and only one hour completing schoolwork (Gentil). This sedentary lifestyle for children has caused an increase in the number of obese children in the United States. However, at the same time, rates of eating disorders in women, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, were also rising (Borzekowski), as well as the number of men seeking treatment for eating disorders (Braun). Researchers have found that in the United States, 94% of female characters in television programs are thinner than the average woman (Yamamiya). The media associates these women with happiness, desirability, and success in life. This exposure to thin and beautiful women cause an increase in women’s weight concerns and body dissatisfaction (Yamamiya). 

Throughout history, the standards of physical beauty for women have often been unrealistic and difficult to attain. An example of these impossible standards was the intense desire for women to have a large bosom along with a tiny waist in the 19th century. This prompted women of higher socioeconomic status to have ribs removed in order to decrease their waist size and, despite the many health risks including shortness of breath and dislocated visceral organs, corsets became a fashion staple so as to give the illusion of a smaller waist. However, during the feminist movement at the beginning of the 20th century, it was more fashionable to be angular, extremely thin, and boyish looking, therefore, women bound their breasts and cut their hair short in order to meet society’s demands. This mindset that extreme measures must be taken still exists today in both men and women. 

In today’s society, men and women are still resorting to drastic measures in order to achieve what they deem to be the most attractive body type. Men are affected by the “Adonis Complex” which is a phenomenon with similarities to body dysmorphic disorder and anorexia nervosa. Young men have become obsessed with bulk and muscle, which can lead to over exercising, dietary restrictions, and abuse of anabolic steroids. According to a report published in the journal, Pediatrics, more teenage males are turning to illegal steroids in order to “bulk up” faster. A survey of over 2,700 high school students in the Minneapolis area found that 5.9% of boys had used anabolic steroids to build muscle (Radcliffe). This is due to the idolization of muscular men and the idea that men with more muscle are most attractive. In addition to the use of anabolic steroids increasing, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that there has been a shift in abundancy of certain procedures due to a shift in beauty ideals. In addition, since 200, the number of overall procedures has risen over 115 percent. In 2015, buttock implants were the fastest growing type of cosmetic surgery and, overall, there was a buttock procedure every 30 minutes of every day on average (New Statistics). Around 2014-2015, large and round became the ideal butt shape for women. With social media and cultural icons such as Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé, larger butts have started to become more and more attractive. In response to this new idea of beauty, an increase in butt implants/enlargements has occurred. 

The increase in plastic surgery is also due to the fact that it is becoming socially acceptable to use unnatural methods in order to achieve a certain body shape. Kylie Jenner is a prime example of a social media icon that has used plastic surgery in order to enhance her body. She has received butt implants as well as lip injections in order to make herself more attractive. When young girls see the people that are prominent in the media resorting to these tactics, they believe they must do the same thing in order to achieve the same results. In addition, plastic surgery offices and plastic surgeons are encouraging consumers to partake in cosmetic procedures in order to become more attractive for many reasons. In a YouTube video released by Dr. Cory Torgerson, a facial plastic surgeon from Toronto, he states that cosmetic procedures can help enhance your online identity, whether it’s for social media, work, or dating. While this man does have to advertise positives surrounding cosmetic procedures in order to attract business, he is encouraging the idea that men and women would be more satisfied with their lives if they altered their appearance in order to become more attractive. In a world where so many young people are suffering from body issues, it is a shame despicable how nonchalant people act concerning cosmetic procedures and unnatural methods of achieving societal standards (Surgeons). 

Although it is recognized that social media has an impact on body image, some deem it to be more detrimental than others. Lauren Berninger claims that we need to stop blaming the media for our body image issues because the error that is causing these body image issues is rooted in our parents, teachers, community leaders, clubs and curriculums that fail to stand in the gap and provide the positive role models that the media has failed to produce. She gives a simple nine-step solution guide to how we can keep young girls from becoming discouraged due to the way women are portrayed in the media. The large components of her plan include getting rid of negative influences in the media by watching different programs, deleting social media pages, etc., encouraging girls to realize that self-esteem and respect are always in trend regardless of weight or size, and she emphasizes that we control our own thoughts and that we should not let the media control us or own real estate in our mind. While these steps and ideas are great in theory, they don’t translate well into practice. 

Attempting to avoid the negative aspects of social media is a lot easier said than done when every aspect of social media includes something that affects body image. In addition, television programs, movies, and songs sexualize women and portray the “ideal body type” in convenient and sneaky ways. For example, many contemporary rap and hip hop songs include comments about “thick women” and many sexual innuendos. The song “Baby Got Back” by Sir-Mix-A-Lot contains the lyrics: “36-24-36? Ha ha only if she’s 5’3””, which suggests that it’s only acceptable for women to be smaller if they are short. Not only are women criticized for being too large, they are also criticized for being too small and less curvaceous. In addition, Meghan Trainor’s song “All About That Bass” she sings: “I’m bringing booty back, go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that”. While attempting to give confidence to larger, plus sized women, she shames women that are skinny. Some women cannot help how skinny they are due to bone structure, genetics, and health problems. While Berninger’s steps and ideas sound great and would be helpful when trying to reduce the effect of social media, the problem will not be eradicated until there is better body representation in the media and advertisements begin to use women of different shapes and sizes to endorse products. The beauty standard will continue to remain harmful and hurtful until it is recognized that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. 

Although we can look at statistics and results of experiments, personal testimonies provide an insight to the thought process of those who are affected by social media. An article written in 2014 by Philippa Roxby from BBC News addresses the question: does social media have an impact on body image? Her article includes a testimony from a young woman named Kelsey Hibberd. Kelsey reports that her years in secondary school were miserable due to bullying she encountered because of her appearance. She stated that she kept her social media followers to a minimum; she only allowed certain people to follow her/friend and she chose these people based on whether or not they would make fun of her posts (Roxby). Proud2BMe is an organization that promotes body confidence among all adolescents of all body shapes and sizes. They interviewed five teenage girls about how social networking sites impact the way they feel about themselves. Each girl reported that they felt in order to be popular on social media you either had to be extremely skinny, considered “hot” by society’s standards, or dress provocatively. In addition, they all said that when scrolling through social media outlets such as Facebook or Twitter, they felt unattractive when they saw the posts of their peers even though they realized that most of them are edited and that all the photos had massive amounts of effort put into them. One of the girls interviewed, Kirby, reported that she felt like photo-shopping her pictures in order to feel better about her appearance. Another one of the girls, Jen, stated that “social media platforms hurt young people because now they are having their bodies judged online and in person, which causes them to feel trapped”. Gracie commented on a Tumblr trend known as “Thinspo” that had pages dedicated to posting pictures and videos of “fit” girls in order to try to inspire more young girls to attempt to achieve that body shape. These girls are only a few of the many adolescents who are affected negatively by the powers of social media.

The effects mass media have on body image are both serious and harmful; there needs to be something done in order to keep these effects from getting worse. There needs to be better body representation in the media and a glorification of all body types, not just certain ones. We live in a world where physical beauty is seen as more important than one’s personality. Since only certain body types are showcased as physically beautiful, a vast majority of the world’s population does not see themselves as beautiful both physically and personality wise. In addition to better body representation in media, photoshopping and editing needs to be eradicated. The more that natural beauty is shown to be beautiful, the more confident people will become with their natural beauty, their natural face, and their natural body. It is unjust to glorify a specific body type that a certain celebrity or public figure has when they do not even have that specific body type. The more we embrace our natural beauty as a society and the more we learn to love our flaws, the more we will be able to love each other in our natural states and accept our natural beauty. 

In conclusion, social media, since its introduction, has caused an increase in negative body image, an increase in certain cosmetic procedures, and an increase in the number of eating disorders affecting adolescents. These problems are entirely preventable if our media outlets would recognize that the content available to people can have a detrimental effect on mental health and self-worth. The idea of what makes people beautiful has consistently shifted over time, but the idea that a specific look is most beautiful has stayed consistent. The path to improving our media outlets and social media platforms begins with eradicating the idea that beauty stems from a certain size, shape, or body part. Then, and only then, will we, as a society, be able to help our youth and begin to help them realize that they are all beautiful in their own unique way regardless of how they compare to what was previously regarded as “beautiful”. 
