 The current technological advances that have occurred in our society has contributed to the changes that are happening in women’s role. Before the innovation of technology, people were not concerned with their media presence. Recently, people seem to care more about their social status due to the pressures that people face when using social media. Research shown that women especially have been concerned with their presence on social media because they are constantly comparing themselves to others (Cohen, Rachel, and Alex Blaszczynski). Some may argue this type of reaction to social media as a step back for women as the have worked so hard to gain their current status as equally successful member of society. Instead of watching powerful women succeed, as they have worked so hard to do, we are watching them obsessing over their body image. The reason this seems to be happening is because within our society we find that women are receiving more pressure from social media outlet than men. There are many social networks directed towards women that emphasize the importance of having a healthy diet, following a rigid workout schedule and maintaining a certain body image (Fardouly, J. & Yager, Z) For example, women can find a high rate of blogs that shows up on Facebook (Vaterlaus, J. Mitchell) Additionally, numerous web pages are being created to help women achieve their ideal body image without them having to pay for the advice. Although, it is logical to have a healthy body composition, the need to fit this ideal image are driving women to have unnatural regimens. There are many reports of high level of body dysmorphic disorder in female teens. In fact, 5.5% of teens are experiencing this disorder and a lot of them could be caused by comparing themselves to others (Hu, F. B.). If one carefully examines billboard and online advertisements that claim to help women, they would notice that these ads lure women by making them believe that their bodies are not good enough. They use photo-shopped pictures of models that make normal-looking women look overweight. These women develop ideas that in order to be attractive, they have to lose weight to fit this unnatural images. For example, Ashley Graham mentioned her struggle trying to fit in to the model type image. It is this type of culture that is pushing women to make decisions about their body that they might not have done, had there not been social media (Graham, Ashley). With this have been said, some may argue that these images can be motivating for confident women who know that being fit is better than being skinny. It motivates them to exercise and achieve a more toned body that they could feel better in rather than fitting society’s idea of a perfect body. Although this oppositional opinion of some women is true, a majority of women are affected negatively by social media. Most women 18-25 have negative views of their bodies due to social media’s impact on society. This paper will address four major claims. The first claim is that websites provide poor information on health which cause negative effects on women’s body image. The second claim is that social media is a factor to why women form eating disorders. The third claim is that social media forces women to compare themselves to others which results in low self-esteem. And the last claim is the oppositional response to the research about social media effect on women’s body image.

The first negative consequence of social media’s impact on how women view their body is that because is highly available at all times women are constantly comparing themselves to these websites. Social networks have been adapting to what society demanded at that time. Recently, the number of women wanting advice and help to maintain a diet has increased. To satisfy this interest, a lot of social networks have adapted their platforms to be about nutrition and exercise. Even though some of them have become a good reference for women who want to lose weight, a number of them provide incorrect information. One of the main reasons these web sites have become a popular reference is because women do not have to pay for the service. This benefits women as many of them do not have the money necessary to pay for a nutritionist or a personal trainer. Even with these benefits, we still find that women are struggling to feel good about their body. This tends to happen because many websites encourage women to reach on realistic goals. 

What we are seeing is that the information that these web sites show is not 100% reliable. In most cases, these are just web pages, they are not specialists who have studied about the repercussions that could occur to these women in the future. Instead they are people who know the subject and are interested in it, but cannot guarantee that their advice will get the physical changes that women are looking for. These websites try to offer extreme diets, like the pineapple diet which encourage women to only eat pineapple for one week, that could potentially cause harm to a women’s body because they are not receiving the proper nutrients (National Health and Medical Research Council). If a women continue with these extreme diets for a long period of time, it could cause health concerns instead of positive weight lost. Although social networks offer a lot of help, women should be conscious that even if they are wanting to lose weight as soon as possible, they have to resort to specialists. It is extremely important to check the information provided by these web sites is reliable. Overall, these websites do not provide positive feedback or information for women concerned about their body.

Research has shown that women today are looking for a physical appearance rather than just thin. (CITE). In the past, social media has portrayed beauty for women as being very thin and with no muscle. Over time, beauty has shifted to be a fit body with marked and fibrous muscles. Modern women started this transformation when they began to see fit models on magazines, TV, people posting fit pictures on social networks, and athleisure clothes in the store. Not only were women seeing models being fit, but now they could also experience healthy diets and workouts activities online. This trend has now exploded within the United States (Fardouly, J. & Yager, Z.).

As previously mentioned, to get a fit body it is very important to follow a healthy diet and to exercise. Social media’s impact has contributed women wants to burn calories. For example, advertisement on TV are selling products such as watches, that constantly show women how many calories they have burnt. Burning calories is no longer because you want to be healthy, it is a competition between friends. When a person engages in exercise or bodily functions burn calories the number of calories that you require each day depends on a number of factor including your age, height, weight, gender and activity level. For example, women between the age of 16 and 25, who exercise 3-5 days per week and who are approximately 120 pounds and above, must maintain daily calorie intake of around 2100 calories (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) Having said that, if we burn more calories than we eat, we can lose fat and weight. Though dieting can be beneficial, it can also be a reason why women start eating disorder or become very concerned about what they are eating. Anorexia, an eating disorder, is a serious health problem. The symptoms of the patients include not wanting to eat, and portion control which can cause nutritional deficiencies (“Mystery of Thin”). In very serious cases anorexia could end in the death of the patient. The general and obvious cause is the fear of getting fat. The patient see herself as being fat when in fact her weight is below what is considered healthy. People who suffer from this illness have certain characteristics, such as fear of losing control over food, gaining weight, difficulty in identifying and communicating their emotions. The most outstanding feature of people suffering from anorexia is that they feel guilty every time they eat, causing them to purged so they do not gain weight and continue to have a thin body. Other health concerns due to malnutrition are the reduction in bone density resulting in weak bones, loss of muscle and muscle weakness, severe dehydration, fatigue, and dry skin. The truth is that when you lose weight you need to give your body enough calories to keep your body functioning, so it can get the essential macronutrients and micronutrients (Berdanier, C. D.) This is why in most circumstances, suddenly lowering your calories is not necessarily a good thing and can result in many energy and hormonal problems. Burning calories is only one part of the process women need to do to have a fit body, they also need to exercise. There are multitude of ways to lose fat, but the most efficient is cardio. Cardio is a broad term that essentially covers any low intensity aerobic exercise. The reasons why cardio is the most efficient area in workouts sessions is because it increases stamina (fitness), stronger auto-immune system (better resistance to illness), decreases blood pressure, improves heart health, and mood. Like all forms of exercise, cardio burns calories, increasing your daily energy output. When your energy output is above your energy intake, it can lead to weight loss. Social media needs to become a place where women can learn about the proper health education, not a place that encouraging eating disorder. 

The obstacles women find towards accomplishing their desired body is the comparison between each other. Due to the increasing use of social networks such as Facebook, many women are posting pictures of themselves about the great physical transformation they have experienced after dieting and exercise. A research study was done that revealed, women that know other women posting about their fit body want to become healthier and to be fit. They also found that women who see strangers post about being fit does not have the same effect. Overall, the research suggests if a woman knows the person posting it does affect how they feel about themselves (Fardouly, Jasmine & T. Punkis, Rebeca). These types of comparisons due to social networks have generated one major issue. This issue is that women have low self-esteem about their physical appearance in social networks. Women have stopped posting whole-body pictures and started to upload only portrait photos (this is one of the main reasons why ‘selfies’ have become very popular). ‘Selfies’ allow women to feel better about themselves because they do not have to show Facebook users if they have a fit, thin, curvy, or overweight body. 

The only advantage that social media has had on women accomplishing their desired body is that social networks also work as a motivating factor for women to exercise. When most people think about social media they relate this term with a sedentary lifestyle. Computers, game consoles, and cell phones. Many believe that social media reduces teenagers’ chances of outdoor recreation. This believe for teenagers is similar to the believe about state at home moms being on Facebook.  For example, women who used to go out with their friends, now they waste their time watching a new TV show alone. Since social networks’ platforms have changed, they are now promoting exercise web pages as a way to get women off the couch. These advertisements offer workouts activities that women can do with their friends. When we are exercising on our own, it could be hard to complete a workout session. These videos encourage women to work out together. Women start to feel tired and want to stop exercising, going with friends provides the motivation necessary they need to finish workouts. Friends help women reach their goals, no matter how far away they might seem at first. Plenty of new workouts activities have been created for those women who like to work out with a friend, changing the way women look at working out. One of the web sites that is revolutionizing more than fifteen million women is “Sweat with Kayla”, directed by Kayla Itsines (personal trainer). She has created a program which offers workouts (resistance, cardio, recovery and weekly challenge), food you have to eat with the recipe to achieve the results they are looking for, a planner to remind women what they have to work on that day, and pictures of your progress where you can prove that this program is providing the results and changes in your body (National Health and Medical Research Council). Her program is called BBG (Body Bikini Guide). It is a 32-week routine in which you perform cardiovascular exercises, resistance training (plyometric or fast movements, and circuits) and stretching. A week of Kayla's training consists of a resistance circuit that crushes both the upper (arms and abdominals) and the lower part (buttocks and legs). They have 28 minutes divided into 4 sets of 7 exercises, in which you can only rest 30-90 seconds (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare). In addition to doing 3 circuits per week, they have three days of cardio for forty minutes if it consists of LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) or fifteen minutes if it consists of HIIT (High Intensity Steady State). 

By taking this training habit, whether with friends or on our own, women end up feeling better with themselves. Exercise keeps us active and happy since physical activity produces a substance called endorphins. This substance generates a state of joy, joviality and tranquility. Exercising not only will not mold a good figure, nor gain physical condition, it goes beyond the gains we have with our physical aspect. Exercising allows us to be well with ourselves and therefore with the rest of the world, because exercising our brain relaxes and generates emotions of satisfaction. When we arrive to achieve this feeling of satisfaction about ourselves, our self-esteem increases, feeling ourselves more powerful and full of confidence. Women also achieve an emotional balance that allow them to communicate with a greater number of people with more facility, and save energy resolving conflicts or disagreements from respect. This is only one social platform that pushes women to work out in a healthy way.

Now that women are more powerful than ever, social networks should not make them take a step back. Women need to fight against social networks that are putting pressure on them to have the perfect body. Instead social media should be promoting that all women no matter their size are beautiful. As mentioned previously this is not typically happening with women today. Women are feeling down about their body size if they are not like models. They are changing some women that they have accepted that they cannot change they body they were born with, and so start loving themselves as they are. These confident women are demonstrating that looking pretty is nothing they should be worried about. With this been said, the research supports that women are negatively impacted by social media and social media does not change then the number of women affected by this negative impact will grow. Once social media changes, then hopefully so will the mindset of so many women. 
