Social Media and Body Issues
The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt commissioned a survey dealing with “Facebook Behavior and how it Influences Body Image and Hyper-Awareness of Body Size”. The survey resulted in 51 percent of respondents stating an alarming statistic. Images of themselves and others on display makes them more conscious of their body size and weight. Advertising perfection has been around since the early 60s, influencing a large number of people to buy miracle products. Ultimately with all of this exposure and pressure from others. Social Media causes self-esteem and body issues.
Firstly, Social Media heightens the hyper-awareness and concerns with body flaws in individuals with underlying insecurities. In the article …show more content…
Because this issue has been present for the last few decades adults are left with the same issues. The insecurities that were present during their teenage years have spilled over into their adult years. simply because the pressure to be perfect does not go away. The same is true for the current generation. Beverly and Wagner have given us background as to why so many children are affected by media and advertising. “Media on body image has historically been concentrated on women, that has changed since the 1990s. American men and boys have also been inundated with media images of largely unrealistic muscular male physiques.” (Beverly and Wagner 2). This problem is very common, however yields no solution. The same author quotes in a brief summary of the age that is …show more content…
Models have often resorted to the products and harmful actions such as eating disorders.“ models who wish to participate in functions such as the Milan fashion week or the London fashion week are now required to produce a medical documentation of their health from an eating disorder specialist” (Beverly and Wagner 3). One of the main contributors to the problem is having issues themselves because the models themselves are using unhealthy weight management strategies. This mindset creates a dangerous argument such as “I look great in the internet cloud and it doesn't matter how I look to you in the real world because it’s two against one.” (Long 1). Social media has become so addicting it morphs itself into a lifestyle in the sense that what somebody looks like online is ultimately how they look in real life. This perception classifies certain standards as good or bad right away and the phrase “I thought you would be taller” or “why don’t you look this way” starts to circulate. Creating unfair pressure to constantly maintain the ideal