Most of us are guilty of it; using beauty filters to enhance our looks before sharing them on any social media platform. Everything appears as smooth as a baby’s bottom. The tampered versions of the photos earn us likes, comments, admiration, and sometimes a date! The tactful photo editing skills are motivated by our desire to achieve certain beauty standards that have been set by others.
Social media brought with it the bad, the good and the ugly. As we scroll through social media, we come across all sorts of content. The good may include health apps, fitness platforms, marketing platforms, support communities, and much more. The ugly include cyber violence and revenge porn.
In some cases, the various social media platforms bring the good and the bad. An example is when dealing with the topic of beauty standards. A big percentage of women will admit that social media influences their perception of beauty. This could bear positive or negative impacts depending on the person. For today, let’s focus on the negative.
The downside of the idea of universal beauty standards
To the elderly, the idea of having an online audience is bizarre while to the young, it is enthralling. The latter derives pleasure in being part of an online community that will offer congratulatory messages for trivial achievements like having tactful photo editing skills. That kind of validation matters a lot to this group.
For the most part, the portrayal of women on social media is both unrealistic and misleading. These photos of have made some to be out of touch with reality. In 2015, unretouched photos of singer Beyoncé were leaked and the singer’s fans went berserk. Many were in denial as they believed, and still do, she stands above mere mortals. That she is flawless. Some were outraged and perceived the leak as an insult to their queen. In 2017, we were again presented with un-airbrushed bum shots of Kim Kardashian. This caused a furore as it was revealed that she has always airbrushed her photos.
These leaks were supposed to teach us a lesson: That a lot of photo editing goes on before these celebrities share their photos. Sadly, many women still bow to the pressure of presenting themselves as having achieved ideal standards of beauty often set by the same personalities. The pressure to project perfect looks is real.
Beauty products
The flawless images on ads are quite misleading. Cosmetics companies will airbrush a model’s photo such that their marketing message is reinforced. This we cannot be angry about. We cannot expect them to use models who are not easy on the eye. However, popular personalities or influencers are often contracted by companies to promote their products. They will speak of how the product has worked for them and even proceed to recommend them. We all know that most have never used such products. Yet, we cannot ignore the impact of their influence and their role as custodians of beauty. That sells.
Social media creates an environment where people make comparisons and this is dangerous since all bodies are not created equal. The quest for the perfect body has given rise to products such as slimming lotions and detoxing drinks while those who have the coin opt for surgeries. Studies have found a link between increased use of social media and the popularity of the thin ideal. Most images that women and girls are exposed to shape their perception of the ideal body size and shape. Sadly.
The quest for validation is another reason people strive to achieve set beauty standards. Failure to achieve the unrealistic standards may generate self-esteem issues, especially among young girls. Several cases of the young, undergoing surgeries or using loads of makeup hoping to look like certain personalities have been reported.
This is hot…that not so much
Statistics reveal that in a day, over 3 billion photos are uploaded to various social media sites. This number is astounding but it comes as no surprise since Facebook alone brags over 2 billion active monthly users. This increases opportunities for the internalization of the ideal body image, especially among young girls.
In some cases, men decide what is beautiful and what is not. Their say is often considered important and this makes some women to have a negative body image. They either opt to use photo editing features or refrain from sharing their photos. Either way, this situation raises red flags and action needs to be taken to tackle it.
In the end, much of what we are exposed to on various social media platforms are unattainable beauty standards. The increasing level of body dissatisfaction should be a wakeup call to all of us. Something needs to be done. Women and girls need to be in touch with reality. These people have flaws too.
Stop wasting time trying to achieve everything you come across on social media. It may be non-existent. In any case, it is never that serious.
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