User:Linxiao Pan/Influence of Social Media on Body Negativity

Influence of Social Media on Body Negativity

The advent of social media has given an immense opportunity to people globally to reveal their ideal body type, which is neither too skinny nor too healthy. This over-exposure to ideal body types all across social media has led to the rise of body negativity. The issue of body negativity can be considered to be a gender-neutral issue but it is more relevant to females. A study conducted in the year 2015 revealed that college-going females are found to be more conscious about their bodies due to the immense use of Facebook. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and more have given individuals with perfect bodies the to post their bodies in different forms. One of the popular ways is to post gym selfies. While, posting selfies can help boost body image, trying to edit the same by using multiple editing software to hide nature features by considering it a flaw can be a threat and harmful at the same time. There are over 3.6 billion users of social media globally. The continuous scrolling of social media posts by individuals lets them discover several posts by celebrities and influencers with socially defined ideal bodies, making the individuals feel inferior. The primary reason behind this is the trait of people promoting and uploading their best sleeves on social media by hiding their flaws. However, one can create a healthy social media space by unfollowing accounts promoting inferior complexity and following positive accounts. A body type not matching the levels of societal standards concerning the definition of an ideal body shape can cause body negativity. Negative perception about the body promotes false perceptions about the bodies of individuals. A study conducted in the year 2018 affirmed a correlation between the severity of body negativity formed and the maximum tie spent scrolling social media. This leads to the formation of a constant comparison among individuals concerning their body types. The comparisons take place on irrational grounds with no solid foundation, or any concrete logic. Individuals from 15 to 35 are more prone to develop body negativity due to the immense use of social media, including men and women. Body comparison among individuals leads to an immense loss of body weight, making the individual unhealthy, weight fluctuations, eating alone, and more. However, the advent of social media has also led over-weight and healthy individuals to come up as plus-size models, influencers, and individuals confidently. The evolution of considering and promoting plus size majorly has boosted the confidence level of several women. Nonetheless, body negativity has not yet been fully eradicated from the social media space. The negative perceptions have led to the immense popularity of editing software such as Photoshop. The maximum number of photos that get circulated across the platforms of social media are edited in some ways. One of the most popular forms of editing a picture these days is to use varied kinds of filters for photos, which enable to hide of extreme features of skin such a fine lines, wrinkles, pimples, and other equivalent marks. These practices not only make the world unreal but also push individuals away from cherishing their marks. However, many men and women have also been found to reduce weight, who were earlier either obese or overweight and leading a healthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, a major number of people choose it to get in easier ways without giving real effort in the public sphere, thus seeking the help of editing software. Such software is not only limited to adding filters but also possess advanced features of alternating body shape and sizes. Cymera can be one of the examples of such software, which can make a body in the image look taller, slimmer, or vice versa. The number of research conducted on the adverse effects of social media promoting body negativity has been more on females. However, men also go through body negativity due to the urge for a perfect body set by social standards. Lean and muscular body types for men fall under such societal standards. This signifies the mutual burden of social media falling upon both men and women leading to social media body negativity resulting in mental illness and eating disorders.

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