
In the world we live in today, technology is an addiction. Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Tinder, and the list goes on. Our entire population is becoming engulfed in this social media culture and it’s only becoming more and more popular. Although this widespread form of communication can be utilized for incredible purposes, there is a major crisis social media poses: women’s mental health and body image complications. Supermodels and stick-thin glamorous women appear all over social media news feeds and are constantly bombarding our subconscious. With all of these unrealistic beauty expectations and unattainable body types filling our news feeds, it becomes very easy to compare yourself to these women. Social media has a crucial impact on the health and well-being of the young women in today’s society.

Although it is statistically proven that social media does in fact affect women’s body image, Lauren Berninger has a different opinion on the subject. In her article “Stop Blaming the Media for Our Body Image Issues”, the debate of social media affecting our self-esteem and how we view our bodies is debunked by a new viewpoint. Lauren acknowledges that a heavy majority of women (about ninety-two percent) are unhappy with their bodies (Berninger). She explains that rather than blaming the media for our body image issues, we should instead turn to ourselves where the real problem lies. Lauren lists multiple solutions to various social media accusations and explains how each one works. Her opinion on the matter is that it is up to us, the everyday women of our society, to not depend on self-worth and affirmation from the media and to accept that the women that are used in ads and ‘Instagram models’ are not the norm (Berninger). Her viewpoint is intriguing and I think it is within reason to see why she feels this way.

While Berninger had an interesting opinion of the issue, a researcher, Jaime Sidani, created an academic journal based on research she did on this matter. She conducted a social experiment using 1,765 young adults aged 19 to 32 years who were randomly selected from a national probability-based online non-volunteer panel. The young adults were split into two groups and each had a designated amount of time to spend on social media each day. The results of this study proved that the amount of time young adults spend on social media such as Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc., directly correlates to an increase of eating disorders. The higher frequency and volume young adults spent on social media led to disordered eating, whereas the less time spent resulted in much fewer issues. In conclusion, it is proven now that there is a direct correlation between body image issues and excessive amounts of time spent on social media in young adults (Sidani).

Next, we have the concept of “thinspiration’. This is the act of having a specific photo or body type of someone you want to look like and it, in theory, will motivate you to work out more/lose weight to look like that person. In an academic journal by Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, the idea of ‘thinspiration’ is analyzed and broken down. Silvia states that “Much research yielded that idealized body imagery exposure leads to negative effects among women, that is, decreased body satisfaction and disordered eating” (Knobloch-Westerwick 1090). Instead of this being a form of positive motivation or inspiration, in reality, women tend to tear themselves down and compare their current bodies to what the models look like. Women are more likely to suffer negative effects including eating disorders and unhealthy weight loss habits to achieve their goal when using ‘thinspiration’. This article proves it is a natural reaction to compare ourselves to others in a condescending matter. Overall, the whole idea of ‘thinspiration’ is proven to be more harmful than helpful to women.

In addition to acknowledging the fact that the media and body image correlate, it should also come to attention just how frequently women have these negative thoughts and insecurities about themselves on a day to day basis. In an alarming and intriguing article by Shaun Dreisbach, it is said that ninety seven percent of women have, on average, thirteen negative or degrading thoughts about themselves per day (Dreisbach). In addition, a large amount of women have between fifty and one hundred negative thoughts about their bodies in one day. Researchers wanted to know where these body image issues are stemming from- more than likely the issue is not with our bodies but rather our own day to day issues that we blame our bodies for. Dreisbach presents an extremely valid point regarding the things women think/say about themselves: “If a man talked this way to a woman, it would be considered relationship abuse. So why do we spew such venom at ourselves?” (Dreisbach). Women don’t tend to realize that the terribly negative things they think about themselves is absolutely self-abuse. I think it is so crucial for women to see that and recognize how unhealthy it is to critique every single flaw they have, when in reality, just about everyone has things they don’t like about themselves or want to change.

In the ebook "Handbook on Body Image", an abundance of body-related issues are addressed and explained. Specifically, taking a look at chapter seven, titled "Mass Media, Body Image and Eating Disturbances: The Underlying Mechanism Through The Lens of the Objectification Theory", the effects that the media plays on eating disorders and body dysmorphia is analyzed. According to the study, "the objectification theory is a cohesive framework that incorporates both mechanisms and offers a more complex account of the process involved in women’s emotional and behavioral responses to their desire to meet Western cultural ideals of physical appearance and attractiveness" (Sams 217). This theory is suggesting that women strive to accommodate to society's image of beauty. In addition the study reports that "The cultural ideals of beauty and attractiveness are modeled and reinforced through societal factors of which the visual media is arguably the most strong and powerful communicator" (Sams 218). This means that the media is the most influential and potentially harmful body image influencer. Finally, Sams concludes that "the cultural suggestion promoted by the media that the best way to address negative emotions related to the bias and improve body image is through eating restraint and dietary control" (Sams 236). Overall, this is an excellent study on body image and how the media affects that issue.

What I find to be the most damaging about social media is that it is making a huge impact on adolescents and their desire for cosmetic plastic surgery. Public figures such as the Kardashians have started a sick and unhealthy trend of making elective plastic surgery a must-have. For example, Kylie Jenner’s signature over-the-top lip injections to promote her lipstick makeup line, or any of the family’s excessive use of botox. This idea of a tiny waist, absurdly large breasts and buttocks, huge cartoon-like lips, and a face that is frozen in time is sadly what’s ‘in’ right now. Since very few women naturally have these features, plastic surgery is the way to go nowadays. In a study on the effects of media and adolescents increasing desire for cosmetic plastic surgery, Dian Vries states that “In 2011, cosmetic surgery was performed on 76,755 patients aged 19 or younger in the US (American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2012). Furthermore, cosmetic surgery was considered by 30 % of US adolescents (Pearl and Weston 2003). This is extremely disheartening considering a woman’s body does not stop growing and fully developing until the age of twenty one. Teenage years are not the optimal time to get an elective cosmetic surgery, as it is a life-long decision and can easily be regretted or lead to desire for even more surgeries. As Dian’s studies proved, more and more adolescents and young women are turning to and considering cosmetic plastic surgeries before they even finish their teenage years. The media absolutely endorses plastic surgery as a social norm now, and that is truly damaging our youth and the way we view ourselves.

An extremely powerful and eye-opening video went viral called “A Perfect Body” within recent years, by Cassey Ho, sheds a lot of light on trying to adhere to everyone else’s definition of beautiful based on YouTube users’ comments on her videos. Cassey is a fitness instructor and posts YouTube videos of workouts, diet tips, and body-positive messages. The viral video showed Cassey standing in the mirror while actual comments that were pulled from her comment section displayed all around her. They included lots of derogatory phrases and critique on her body such as “you shouldn’t give advice when you’re so fat” and “you should suck in more” (Cassey Ho).   As the mean comments continued, she uses Photoshop to meet the commenters’ requests and ultimately ends up hating the body she ‘created’ for herself because it’s what others wanted her to look like. This is essentially how social media can cause mental health issues and body image problems. No matter how much you try to alter your body to achieve that perfect body, you will continue to be unhappy. It is a vicious cycle that can consume someone’s self-esteem and that is exactly why it can be dangerous to continue to compare yourself to Photoshopped celebrities; even they get body-shamed too.

 In addition to cyberbullying, plastic surgeries, and mental instability, “Studies show that children 10 and up who have been exposed to fashion magazines have a higher chance of developing eating disorders. What magazines need to do to help eliminate this issue is put more realistic sized models in their pages. If they start advertising with healthy girls, readers will get the message that starving yourself is not right.” (Moody). As proposed by Colleen, ‘normal’ women should be the face of everyday advertisements, not supermodels. Eating disorders, once developed, are a very serious and life-threatening illness: “More people die from them than any other mental illness. In anorexic women alone, 10 percent of them will die within 10 years of developing the disease. Only 1 in 10 people will receive treatment, as it can cost up to $2,000 a day” (Moody). Not only are these disorders terrible for your health and wellbeing, but also are extremely costly to attempt to treat. 

The solution to all of these issues the media imposes on us is so clear and simple: stop creating unattainable beauty standards for everyday ordinary women to feel like they need to adhere to or aspire to be. It’s honestly sickening the amount of health and physical issues the media causes and could easily fix, but won’t because it’s what sells. That is what the issue is, the media doesn’t care about your health, it cares about revenue. Until we can figure out how to prioritize our citizens’ health and mental state, we will continue to suffer from mental illnesses, eating disorders, and all-around poor self-esteem and negativity. While the counter argument will say the media is not to blame and it is an individual’s responsibility to choose what they look at, that is not one hundred percent true. Yes, there are absolutely some choices that can be made to avoid some of these negative effects, however you can’t help what advertisements show up on your news feed or what magazines are on display while you’re checking out at the grocery store. There is no way to completely block these advertisements out of your life because of the technology and amount of companies that pay for billboards and airtime for their ads. We know the average American woman isn’t five foot ten, one hundred and five pounds, and a supermodel. I really think more awareness on this issue is necessary to take a step towards a better and more inclusive society. Acknowledging the legitimacy of this issue is the first step towards a more realistic and healthier functional society. 
