Once upon a time, social media was a platform where people connected by sharing what was going on in their lives in a positive way.
But it’s changing now.
Today, social media has a substantial influence on many things, including how we see ourselves and how we feel about ourselves, which influences our confidence. This is noticeable in how social media affects our body image.
Now people are comparing themselves to others through social media. And beauty lenses and filters are giving an unnatural and unreal view of how we appear on social media, and instead of seeing the person, we see those filters.
The filters and their beauty lenses make us prettier on social media. We also have the option of editing our photos to make us look better. But we don’t need to do that.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo’s School of Public Health Sciences, led by PhD candidate Karen Hock, found that in their 2014 study 55 per cent of teens say they are “dissatisfied” with their appearance. The research indicates the main problem is social media.
Hock, the study’s lead author, told University of Waterloo News she is concerned about teens using social media.
“Previous research has found that youth know using social media is not good for their mental health, but they find it really hard to stop,” Hock told the News.
Hock said young children are “developing an unhealthy relationship with body image,” and this shows in recent statistics. University of Waterloo’s School and Hock’s team results recorded 55 per cent of 27,277 youth expressed dissatisfaction with their bodies, with a marked increase as social media use ramps up.
University of Waterloo’s School and Hock’s team also say that about “35 per cent of the teens report being larger than ideal” and “20 per cent said they were thinner than ideal.” This reflects the picture social media puts in users’ heads which pressures them to strive for a perfect body. It shouldn’t be like that.
In my experience, social media’s influence has left me struggling to accept my looks. As I grew up, I would compare myself to others on Instagram and TikTok. That experience affected my mental state, leaving me always wishing to look like someone I saw on social media.
Families and friends told me to change my perspective. They would say, “Everyone is their own person, and you are too.” But I did not think that could be true. It took me a while to do that, but eventually I did.
Finally, I realized I could not keep living my life heavily influenced by social media. That pushed me to do something about it.
One day, my mom said to me, “Let’s go to the gym.” I decided to join her.
After going a few times, I started to enjoy it and that motivated me to go more. It has helped me to love myself more and build my confidence in my body image. It taught me you’re the only one who can change your self-love and get rid of the unhealthy relationship you have with your body image.
My habit of going to the gym, instead of going on social media, changed my life for the better. I am developing a healthy relationship with my body.
At the end of the day, we are all human beings. We are all beautiful just the way we are, and we should never doubt ourselves by thinking of the worst version of ourselves by comparing ourselves to people on social media.
Social media has many benefits, but it often creates barriers between appearance and beauty for young people using it as a comparison tool, feeling like they must change to fit in because social media is telling them to do so.
Don’t focus so much on social media. Put down the phone and learn to love yourself.
