The freedom that social media provides is a double-edged sword.
It’s a powerful tool that can create movements and major change within society, but with all the good social media can do, if not careful, it can lead to body image issues, and ultimately contribute to the development of disorders.
Social media gives anyone the power to be whatever version of themselves they dream up in their head. While that may seem fun, it’s a very dangerous line to walk.
On social media, a person can heavily edit their photos before posting them, and nobody will know. They can also use a built-in filter, like what Instagram and Snapchat provide, to help achieve the best aesthetic for their photos.
Being able to modify and adjust appearances so easily only encourages a distorted and unattainable view of body image. Because social media puts a focus on physical appearance, it’s also likely to result in constant self-criticism and questions of self-worth.
While it may seem miniscule and unharmful to tweak photos here and there, when everyone does this, it continues the vicious cycle that can unfortunately lead to the development of disorders.
It’s very easy for people to compare themselves to others on social media. They see the number of likes photos get, the number of followers accounts gain, and they want the same. As these things pile onto a person’s mental state, it can progress into a negative view of their own body image.
Having a negative body image, or body dissatisfaction, means that a person has a distorted perception of their own shape, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. This is also usually accompanied by feelings of anxiety, embarrassment and self-consciousness.
The National Eating Disorder Association also states that people who feel dissatisfaction with their bodies will say that they are physically flawed, and often compare themselves to others. These people “are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem and eating disorders.”
The ability to alter or edit a person’s image through apps like Snapchat may seem like harmless fun, but it only feeds into insecurities and progresses the idea that a perfect appearance can exist.
Most Snapchat and Instagram filters aim to make the user look like a better version of themselves, changing their face so that it’s smoother, thinner and even lighter.
When a person continually critiques their physical appearance, they set a value on themselves solely based off of a reflection. When the image a person sees in the mirror isn’t what they want, or is seemingly unpleasant, filters are a quick, cheap fix that allow them to hide the physical parts of themselves that they may hate.
Some, however, have taken it a step further, and have consulted with doctors to have surgical procedures done to look more like the filtered or edited versions of themselves, according to an article published in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. This trend is known as Snapchat dysmorphia.
There is rising concern that these filters may be causing major negative effects on self-esteem, and could possibly trigger body dysmorphic disorders. This disorder is a mental illness which lies on the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, according to experts.
“Snapchat Dysmorphia is a form of body dysmorphic disorder,” according to an article published by JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. This mental disorder causes people to fixate on a physical flaw they have perceived to be true, that others cannot see or see as minor.
We, as a society, have become very obsessed with social media, and the fake love we receive from the number of likes posts get. We are self-absorbed, and focus on physical appearance so much that self-esteem becomes very low, leaving many with feelings of depression and unworthiness.
Beauty is subjective, and can never be identified as a specific set of standards, no matter how hard society tries to do so. It’s impossible for a person to look a certain way that will be appealing to everyone, and yet, social media acts as a competition that aims to do just that.
Using social media as anything other than a means to spark conversation and make change will only damage a person’s sense of self-worth, and self-worth is something that should never be questioned.
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