Body Image and Media
- Chantel Lovell
- Jul 3, 2021
- 4 min read
Edited by Andrew
Social Media and Beauty Standards
We live in a virtual era of mass media exposure and technological advancements far surpassing the generations before us. As young adults, many of us are hard-pressed to remember a time without cell phones or social media. (I know that I can spend hours every day investing myself into strangers’ lives on Instagram and TikTok). However, this is not without consequence – we live in unprecedented times where the internet moves faster than the blink of an eye. Trends come and go, but body image stereotypes hardly budge. It is detrimental to one’s physical and emotional health to see one specific body type always perpetuated and praised throughout all media platforms.
These harmful body image stereotypes exist in other media platforms, such as movies. Hollywood’s beauty standards have been influencing us since diapers. For example, most Disney Princesses are known for their fair skin, slender and defined waists, and delicate voices. Their villainous counterparts are often raspy, overweight characters with stereotypically “unattractive” features. In the end, the unnaturally thin, cisgender, white heroine lives out their happily-ever-after. Disney drives a narrative that ‘skinny is trustworthy and pretty’ but ‘fat is evil and ugly’ into our subconscious. Why should fairy tale tropes get to decide what it means to be beautiful?
It’s more than just movies mainstreaming these ideals. More often, celebrities and “influencers” clog the media with images of air-brushed skin and photoshopped figures. Attractiveness is a marketing ploy in the entertainment industry, the idea being that we buy into influencer advertisements in hopes of being more like them. These advertisements are aesthetically pleasing to see on our feeds, encapsulating everything we are “supposed” to want. Instagram models and influencers make a living off of being beautiful, equating beauty with worth and popularity. Many of us start to chase these unrealistic beauty standards and feel shame when we don’t achieve them.
Moreover, many people use social media as a tool for self-expression, opening them up to criticism when they don’t adhere to the “normal” body image. Expressions of beauty diverging from the status quo have even become politicized, with many political figures on social media criticizing others for blurring the lines of gender expression on their platforms. Debates over what it means to be masculine or feminine are causing divides between “conservative” and “progressive”. For instance, Candice Owens accused Harry Styles of not being “manly” enough over his fashion choices, starting a massive conversation across the internet. Perpetuations of a gender binary on these social media platforms have only further affected how people express themselves.
Social Media and Comparison
The media also politicizes beauty standards to capitalize off of peoples’ insecurities taking advantage of trends and advertising placements. It also fails to push creators of color into the spotlight and amplify their voices. Through the oppression of different gender expressions, sexual orientations, races, skin colors, etc., the media can influence our every thought. TikTok trends such as “showing off” your side profile or exposing guys for lying about their height on Tinder are toxic, creating insecurities that people didn’t have before. After an hour of scrolling through TikTok, I began to think I needed lip filler and a nose job to be pretty. It can be difficult to maintain my self-esteem when nobody looks like me. If that’s how I feel as a cisgender, straight, white woman, imagine how social media affects the LGBTQ+ community and BIPOC individuals. At the forefront of all media are white men, then white women, taking visibility away from these BIPOC creators. For the longest time, anybody who doesn’t fit into the Western beauty standards has struggled to find influencers who look like them or have had similar experiences as them.
Social Media and Advertising
There are countless celebrities on media platforms claiming to be body inclusive while perpetuating beauty standards. The Kardashian-Jenner sisters are among the most followed accounts on Instagram who act self-aware but turn around and support unhealthy diet culture. They have all done paid advertisements for a detox shake or tea and put more focus into creating a legacy than spreading positivity.
Kim Kardashian was in hot water a while back for an appetite suppressant advertisement with Flat Tummy Co. Since it was in the form of a lollipop, it appealed to a very young audience struggling with their own bodies. A quick and easy solution to...hunger? Kim might have considered it as her responsibility to promote body positivity, but her mistakes carried a heavy message: either she was willing to betray her ideals to make a pretty penny, or she never actually believed in them. Her sister, Kendall Jenner was even quoted saying: “I usually start my day off with a cup of detox tea. I have like 12 cups a day.” She seemed to link her success in modeling to this “secret”. Detox tea is a laxative and excessive consumption can cause dehydration due to loss of water. There are many negative side effects of detoxing teas and shakes, which might result in long-term damage. Together, this family turned detoxing into a fad.
This is a betrayal to their followers who have bought these products in hopes of looking like them. The ads fail to recognize that the Kardashians have used personal trainers, nutritionists, and cosmetic procedures to get these so-called “perfect” bodies. The goal isn't to condemn conventional beauty or shame women but to abolish harmful standards. Influencers like the Kardashians are essentially telling their followers that they need to look a certain and fit into a standard, but don’t provide healthy options to do so.
What Can You Do?
Follow body positive influencers!
@amapoundcake on Instagram
@rianne.meijer on Instagram
@jameelajamilofficial on Instagram
It’s important to support people who encourage us to divert from mainstream ideals. The more diversity we see on social media, the more we are able to rewire what we perceive as standard beauty. Follow LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and plus-sized people on your favorite platforms to give a voice to underrepresented communities. It’s also important to remember that blind following to seem more inclusive will not have the same effect as following because you genuinely care.
Sources
Reslen, Eileen. “Candace Owens Tweets Response to Harry Styles' Vogue Cover Clapback.” Page Six, Page Six, 2 Dec. 2020, pagesix.com/2020/12/02/candace-owens-responds-to-harry-styles-vogue-cover-clapback/.
DeFino, Jessica, et al. “How White Supremacy and Capitalism Influence Beauty Standards.” Teen Vogue, www.teenvogue.com/story/standard-issues-white-supremacy-capitalism-influence-beauty.
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