Communities and Social Media

The Formation of Communities on TikTok to Diminish Stereotypical Beauty Standards

Abstract: Social media has taken the world by storm in the past decade, and it has also risen the beauty standards to an all time high. Photos are no longer a beautiful original image, but are completely manipulated by photoshopping tools and filters. These manipulations of photos are affecting the youth’s body image and confidence as they are constantly seeing false images in their everyday life, believing that they are the standards they should meet. The new social media app, TikTok, has brought in some new movements and new realistic expectations of men and women’s bodies. People have started connecting on this app and creating communities and networks which spread love and positivity about body image and insecurities in order to diminish the idea that ‘size 6 is the ideal body’.

The rise of social media over the past few years has created many new opportunities, new communities and new ways to network with people all over the world. The emergence of social platforms, such as Instagram, was originally created to share raw content to your audience, but it has rapidly taken a turn for the worse. Instagram now as we know it, is filled with unauthentic, photoshopped images which create a false standard of beauty. As expected this has affected the beauty standards of men and women drastically, and has made young adolescences believe that manipulated Instagram photos are realistic body standards. This has affected millions of people’s confidence and body image, and in the past year people have come together to fight against these stereotypes created from photoshopped Instagram posts (Avalos, Tylka & Wood-Barcalow, 2005). Millennials all around the globe have come together on the new social media app, TikTok, to raise awareness of the unrealistic beauty standards which are pursued on social media. They have utilised this app as it has become a space in which people feel comfortable sharing their perspectives on certain topics and issues, due to the culture of the app being more accepting of everyone than other apps such as Instagram and Twitter.

Instagram has now been around for ten years, it once started off with people posting harmless, unedited selfies with the possibly of an original Instagram filter to make it look “cooler” and to spice up the lighting of the picture. Flash forward to today and millennials wouldn’t dare take a photo and place an Instagram filter over it. The process now is to take hundreds of photos and spend hours choosing the perfect one with the perfect angle.

After that process has taken place, then the long operation of editing starts (Kleemans Et Al, 2018). With the use of Photoshop, Colourtone, Whitagram, and Airbrush, user’s perfect their photo and before they know it, it looks completely different to the original. When people are endlessly and mindlessly scrolling through their feeds, they tend to forget that almost 100% of the photos they are seeing are heavily photoshopped and that the people don’t look like that in real life.

The photo sharing Giant has captivated over 1 billion users to their site with the majority of users between the ages of 18-34 (Tanovska, 2021). Today’s society has recently being putting the blame on celebrities and ‘influencer’s’ who seem to be the main culprit when it comes to creating unrealistic beauty standards by constantly using photo enhancing apps to alter their images (Brown & Tiggemann, 2016). The millions of fake images being spread around the internet daily has affected young adolescences immensely, as they are now obsessing over the “perfect body”, which in reality is just a photo of a regular person, but has been manipulated into this false image (Sullivan, 2014).

There has been many recent studies surrounding the effects heavily edited photos have on the minds of men and women, especially the younger generations, as they are exposed to these images at a young age, and they are now growing up believing that these are the

standards which should be withheld (Cohen, Newton-John & Slater, 2017). Research on body image has been heavily investigated within the depths of Instagram, with studies showing that thin bodies have been heavily idealised (Fardouly & Holland, 2018). This has created a negative stereotype to any girls body over a size 8, leading women and girls to have low self-esteem and body satisfaction (Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008). In the current day, seeing manipulated photos while scrolling on Instagram is unavoidable as it will uncover 100’s of photos of perfectly shaped women with absolutely flawless features (Tiggermann M, Anderberg, 2019).

Just when we thought there would never be any other social media app that could compare to Instagram, another comes to the surface. The emergence of the new social media app, TikTok, has blow up over the past 2 years, and created a third space for people to connect, network and create content. You can create up to 60 second videos, on what ever you desire, using all different effects, music and sounds. The short videos capture people’s attention, keeping people interested for hours on end. This app now has a whopping 524 million users per day (Hughes, 2019). Influencers and celebrities have of course made their way over to this app too, which has brought over the previously discussed idea of the ‘ideal body type’. This app is also flooded with face changing filters, and unrealistic beauty standards, which seems to be the new trend when it comes to social media apps, but on TikTok you are able to see whether a filter is being used as it says it on the screen, which is maybe why TikTok has become a sort of “safe space” for people to talk about body image topics.

As well as all other social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, TikTok is a platform where people from all around the world can connect with likeminded people in order to talk about their beliefs, or even network with people in a similar industry to you. And although there is a lot of negativity surrounding beauty standards on the mentioned social media platforms, there has been a recent movement counteracting these developed stereotypes which has completely changed the dynamic of social media. One of the first movements in the direction of diminishing the idea of ‘size 6 is the ideal body size’, was a 16 year old TikToker named Brooklynne, who went viral on the app after receiving comments about her “needing to lose some kilo’s” (Rosenblatt, 2020). Initially, the young teen was offended and hurt by the hate comments she was receiving, (which were very common throughout the app before this movement) but she decided to rise above the haters and show people that beauty is not one size fits all, it comes in many different shapes and sizes.

Brooklynne received more and more hate comments, the more videos she posted with her midriff showing, but these didn’t stop her, they only fuelled her more to end this stereotype and make people love themselves for who they are again. The more hate comments this young teen received, the more videos she posted. She eventually started an amazing movement in the social media scene, with girls all around the globe posting videos more confidently with their unedited photos and their bare, unedited stomachs showing. Charlotte Markey is a professor of psychology and health sciences at Rutgers University and said, “They’re showing what a normal body looks like, and none of us are really used to seeing that in the media. … When we see these sorts of videos online, they’re kind of breaking the illusion that everyone is perfect except us,” (Rosenblatt, 2020). Charlotte’s comment on TikToker’s positive body image movement outlined the positive impact it has had on people’s confidence, as everyone expects other peoples bodies to be perfect because that’s what they see on social media, but in reality every one has ‘normal’ bodies, social media just shows the perfect angle, with the help of photoshop and filters (Holland & Tiggemann, 2016).

Brooklynne was one of the first to break the stereotype, and many others saw the insanely positive response she was receiving, and decided to follow in her footsteps and spread more awareness of ‘normal bodies’ and the film which has been placed over our eyes this past decade. From young teenage school girls all the way to big celebrities such a Lizzo, if you scroll through TikTok you are likely to see a body positivity video from someone. People see Lizzo, an American Singer, as a leading force when it comes to body positivity and is known for her realness and inclusivity to people of all shapes, sizes, gender and races. Like Brooklynne, Lizzo is known for, and has gone ‘viral’ on the app, for showing society her body in it’s natural form and still being amazingly confident. For adolescences and people who struggle with their image and confidence, seeing a celebrity and an idol for some, be completely real with her audience and get involved in this movement, has been a big help for many people (Rosenblatt, 2020).

Another user of TikTok, in which her account has gone viral for her relatable content and the way she spreads body positivity to young girls, is American 16 year old, Sienna Mae Gomez, who’s following has grown to an extensive 15 million followers on her TikTok account alone. Sienna started posting similar content to Brooklynne, sticking her stomach out and doing skits for her enormous following to see (Jennings, 2021). This caught the attention of many, her videos landing on people’s For You Page (the explorer page on TkTok) and she now inspires millions of people to feel confident in their own bodies. Her videos have no sign of filters or photoshop, allowing her followers to connect with her on a personal level, as there is no barrier between her and her followers. In an interview, Sienna explained her experience she had with some young followers, “a group of young girls came up to me with tears in their eyes, telling me how much I mean to them and thanking me for inspiring them to be more confident and not care so much what people think of them” (Jennings, 2021).

This social media platform, has not only brought light to the unrealistic body standards, but also the other 1000’s of insecurities human’s have within themselves, which are never talked about on social media these days (Cohen, Fardouly, Newton-John & Slater, 2019). There was a viral trend going around which people did a close up video of their main insecurities, and people would get thousands of positive and supportive comments (Slater, Cole & Fardouly, 2019). Communities are created in the comments, describing their similar insecurities (Beams, 2020). This was a positive movement in the social media scene, with people connecting even if they hadn’t met before and sharing the love around the internet and creating a safe space for people who don’t feel like they have one in their real life.

There is a counter argument to the body positivity movement, that women of sizes 16+ aren’t getting the same amount of attention on the app as girls which are sizes 8-10 showing body positivity. Users of the app such as Hannah Fuhlendorf, Lizzo and @sheismarissamatthews have spoken out about this argument and have began creating their own videos which now are shown on the For You Page, expressing body shapes in ALL different shapes and sizes (Jennings, 2021).

Although there are strong movements like the body positivity movements I have spoke about above, people may argue that there is still content out there on Instagram and TikTok that extremely effects their body confidence, which is completely true. At the beginning of this movement, before Brooklynne blew up on this social media giant, the algorithms of these apps, stopped users from seeing these posts and in fact just shows the skinny and the rich, in attempts to make their app look better. There has been many

studies made over the past decade in relation to the correlation of scrolling through your social media feed – mainly Instagram and TikTok – and the high dissatisfaction of you own body (Jennings, 2021). In the current day, the algorithms have been altered so that we see more of the content which promotes confidence and body positivity, so that our feed isn’t flooded with unoriginal, edited content.

I strongly believe that this app has brought a lot of positivity to the social media scene, without this app society still may have been in the same cycle of seeing unrealistic images day in day out. The false images and the over edited photos are of course still there, but it is refreshing to have another platform which people can express themselves and communicate with likeminded people, without the pressure of having to look like something they’re not. There are still plenty of accounts on this app that flood the For You Page with posts that can negatively effect people’s body image and confidence, but it has been very refreshing in the past year with the movement which has evolved on this app.

References:

Avalos, L., Tylka, T., & Wood-Barcalow, N. (2005). The Body Appreciation Scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. Body Image, 2(3), 285-297. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.06.002

Brown, Z., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). Attractive celebrity and peer images on Instagram: Effect on women’s mood and body image. Body Image, 19, 37-43. doi: 10.1016/ j.bodyim.2016.08.007

Cohen, R., Fardouly, J., Newton-John, T., & Slater, A. (2019). #BoPo on Instagram: An experimental investigation of the effects of viewing body positive content on young women’s mood and body image. New Media & Society, 21(7), 1546-1564. doi: 10.1177/1461444819826530

Cohen, R., Newton-John, T., & Slater, A. (2017). The relationship between Facebook and Instagram appearance-focused activities and body image concerns in young women. Body Image, 23, 183-187. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.10.002

Fardouly, J., & Holland, E. (2018). Social media is not real life: The effect of attaching disclaimer-type labels to idealized social media images on women’s body image and mood. New Media & Society, 20(11), 4311-4328. doi: 10.1177/1461444818771083

Grabe, S., Ward, L. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), 460–476. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.460

Holland, G., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image, 17, 100-110. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008

Hughes, D. (2019). The Rapid Rise of TikTok. Digital Marketing Institute. https:// digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-rapid-rise-of-tiktokpage5image23136page5image23296

Jennings, R. (2021). The paradox of online “body positivity”. Vox. https://www.vox.com/the- goods/22226997/body-positivity-instagram-tiktok-fatphobia-social-media

Lasker, A. (2021). Our favourite body acceptance influencers to follow on TikTok right now.ITK. https://www.intheknow.com/post/our-favorite-body-acceptance-influencers- to-follow-on-tiktok-right-now/

Mariska Kleemans, Serena Daalmans, Ilana Carbaat & Doeschka Anschütz (2018) Picture Perfect: The Direct Effect of Manipulated Instagram Photos on Body Image in Adolescent Girls, Media Psychology, 21:1, 93-110, DOI: 10.1080/15213269.2016.1257392

Pokrop, NapoleonCat. (2021). Instagram demographics in Australia – February 2021 UPDATE. Napoleon Cat. https://napoleoncat.com/blog/instagram-users-in- australia/

Rosenblatt, K. (2020, September 11). TikTok users try to fight traditional beauty standards by showing off their bellies. Yahoo News. https://news.yahoo.com/tiktok-users- try-fight-traditional-130854378.html? guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_r eferrer_sig=AQAAAK0mxQYsqM75FxMc055C2MCcrCRBqv98NTPdud- iqwXktEOZ122MNkGla2mlNAWXgJbJSMOh1vrlO2LwsjDzYlQTbbCCz5Ksx8rx a09dABezzZS1yZgh6fEWHYBMKWjnEKd9FRpOQ3oyiDRMKJ-C0hgMfwi-y- b4PUSqWzpp-TE3

Sullivan, RS. (2014, April 4) Celebrities are using photo manipulation apps to make themselves look thinner. news.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/ beauty/celebrities-are-using-photo-manipulation-apps-to-make-themselves- look-thinner/news-story/82b7918b8a5d28442c3502dcb35eafd5

Tanovska, H. (2021, February 10). Distribution of Instagram users worldwide as of January 2021, by age group. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/325587/ instagram-global-age-group/

Tiggemann, M., & Anderberg, I. (2020). Social media is not real: The effect of ‘Instagram vs reality’ images on women’s social comparison and body image. New Media & Society, 22(12), 2183–2199. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819888720

23 thoughts on “The Formation of Communities on TikTok to Diminish Stereotypical Beauty Standards

  1. Hi Jules,

    I really enjoyed reading your paper, and I think you chose such relatable and interesting topic to talk about. As a young woman using social media, topics surrounding body image and body positivity are very real in my life. I completely agree when you say that image manipulations are heavily affecting the body image and confidence of younger generations as they are constantly exposed to deceiving images in their everyday life. I also agree when you say that TikTok has brought forth new movements and new realistic expectations of the male and female body. My paper is on a similar topic where I talk about activist communities on TikTok supporting movements such as this one. Users are able to connect and create communities and networks which spread love and positivity about body image.

    However, my only question is how do members who are already heavily engaged with false and deceiving accounts learn about this movement? I ask this because TikTok is an algorithm based application which only shows users content that it thinks they will be interested in. For example, I watch a lot of videos about cooking, fitness, and fashion. I know most of what I watch is quite deceiving and un-realistic, but I haven’t yet come across any videos about body positivity. What would I have to do to start coming across this kind of content?

  2. Hey Jules!

    This is such an important topic and so relevant to today’s society of social media and influencers! I personally think this topic of body positivity is one of great significance, leading a positive way for a large sum of individuals whom just want to feel comfortable in their body! As a young female, I understand the struggles that come along with these distorted body images that come from social media, influencers and some celebrities, however this movement is taking charge and empowering women! Especially with such influential faces leading it, such as Lizzo. Tik tok is a great platform for this, with many trends highlighting the beauty of every person’s body, with a large sum of popular tik toker’s like Sienna Mae, alongside celebrities and models utilising the platform (e.g. Lizzo and Ashley Graham). Your paper was thoroughly insightful into the impact these trends have in demolishing the typical standard of ‘beauty’ and I can strongly agree on your argument that the Tik Tok platform has brought a large amount of positivity to the subject!

    My paper is similar to yours in regards to the subject of female empowerment. My paper discusses the #notallmen movement, and how this movement has utilised Instagram as a third place. I have linked it below! Give it a read and lets see what we can discuss!

  3. Hey Jules!

    This is such an important topic and so relevant to today’s society of social media and influencers! I personally think this topic of body positivity is one of great significance, leading a positive way for a large sum of individuals whom just want to feel comfortable in their body! As a young female, I understand the struggles that come along with these distorted body images that come from social media, influencers and some celebrities, however this movement is taking charge and empowering women! Especially with such influential faces leading it, such as Lizzo. Tik tok is a great platform for this, with many trends highlighting the beauty of every person’s body, with a large sum of popular tik toker’s like Sienna Mae, alongside celebrities and models utilising the platform (e.g. Lizzo and Ashley Graham). Your paper was thoroughly insightful into the impact these trends have in demolishing the typical standard of ‘beauty’ and I can strongly agree on your argument that the Tik Tok platform has brought a large amount of positivity to the subject!

    My paper is similar to yours in regards to the subject of female empowerment. My paper discusses the #notallmen movement, and how this movement has utilised Instagram as a third place. I have linked it below! Give it a read and lets see what we can discuss!

  4. Hi Jules,

    In regards to the body positivity movement do you think there is potential for it to be hijacked by other influencers and users to be apart of the trend rather than lobbying to champion all body types? The Sydney Morning Herald (2019) discusses the issue of body positivity online, finding that many mainstream media outlets are using this movement to only represent bodies that are slightly different to the traditionally advertised body type, in turn maintaining the norm rather than challenging traditionalist representations. Therefor linking to Tik Tok body positivity would the messages be drowned out by the opinions and content distribution of mainstream media outlets. If online communities are all accepting, will this create a safe space for users to feel welcomed or increase their self depreciation due to the majority of media maintaining the traditionalist body representations?

  5. Hi Jules,

    Love this topic so much! I really liked your paper, so pertinent to nowadays.

    As an avid TikTok user, I really find myself coming across body-positive videos on TikTok that truly are inspirational. I found that people on this platform are so much more open and relatable to younger, more easily impressionable people. I think a section that has really been growing is women posting TikToks of their postpartum bodies. I think that showing the changes that bodies go through in life is a way of truly normalizing the way we interact and respect people’s bodies whilst diminishing body expectations.
    According to Todd Henneman in relation to TikTok “The social media app ranked as one of the most downloaded apps of the 2010s – outranking YouTube and Twitter – despite launching near the decade’s end” (2020. p. 2).

    We can therefore see how much agency this app is given out of all other social media apps. Body positivity I feel was often only shown through pictures on Instagram where celebrities would post unfiltered photos of themselves and call it “real life” whereas TikTok really has given voice to anyone and everyone who wants to show the world different perspectives and different realities and lives. Especially since TikTok’s algorithm gives space for everyone to be seen!

    Hope you have a great day!

    Emma

    References:

    Henneman, T. (2020). Beyond lip-synching: Experimenting with TikTok storytelling. Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication, 10(2), 1-14. Retrieved from https://link.library.curtin.edu.au/gw?url=https://www-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/scholarly-journals/beyond-lip-synching-experimenting-with-tiktok/docview/2523169901/se-2?accountid=10382

  6. Hey Jules!

    This was a really interesting paper I enjoyed reading it a lot, I think it is an important issue that needs to be discussed more.

    I liked your incorporation of Brooklynne, I have seen her on social media and the comments made about her are really horrible, and it is evident we have a long way to go before all bodies are praised and accepted on social media.

    Looking into the topic myself I came across this recent article that I found a really good read about unrealistic beauty standards if you are interested: https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/beauty-health/the-dark-side-of-social-media-how-unrealistic-beauty-standards-are-causing-identity/hv4tffb

    Thank you again for sharing your paper!

  7. Hi Jules,

    Excellent job on an interesting and extremely relevant paper! I have also explored how the TikTok platform supports the formation of online communities but from a global arts community lens.

    I was interested to see your research into the beauty standards as portrayed by Influencers on Instagram and TikTok. Abidin (2020, p. 83) explores this in her recent paper on TikTok, and how the idea of what we view as successful has changed since the introduction of this platform. She suggests that “the ‘staging’ of an ‘Instagrammable’ lifestyle that was aspirational and pristine, seemed to give way to the ‘crafting’ of a relatable performance that was entertaining and accessible” (Abidin, 2020, p. 83).

    I am fairly new to TikTok as an older millennial, however I have been on Instagram for years. One of the “influencers” that I follow on Instagram is Celeste Barber, who recently created a TikTok profile. I was interested to see her posting in her Instagram stories recently about some of her content on being taken down on Tiktok for being inappropriate.

    Do you feel that her content is being reported and taken down because she is a non-size-6 person who is showing herself in a state of undress? As there doesn’t appear to be anything in her videos that ‘breaks’ the TikTok platforms Community Guidelines? Does TikTok still have a way to go in promote healthy beauty standards within it’s own content moderation practices?

    Cheers,

    Mads

    ____

    Abidin, C. (2020). Mapping Internet Celebrity on TikTok: Exploring Attention Economies and Visibility Labours. Cultural Science Journal, 12(1), 77–103. https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.140

  8. Hi jules,
    Your paper is so important, especially with so many young (and older) people suffering from eating disorders to attain a “perfect” body.

    I have attached links to a story about the Kardashians photoshopping and airbrushing their photos to look almost inhuman. The second article is about how they were desperately trying to take down an unedited image as they were so scared people would see the real them . So many people look up to the family, but they represent an unattainable beauty standard, since it is all fake.

    It was wonderful to know there are people who are working towards destroying the stereotypes though. Do you think if an image is altered that the poster should let people know, the same way they do if they advertise a product?

    https://www.insider.com/kardashian-photo-editing-fails-2019-4#kim-kardashian-posted-this-picture-of-herself-strutting-in-a-parking-lot-to-her-instagram-in-2018-but-she-had-an-explanation-5

    https://pagesix.com/2021/04/05/kardashian-team-working-hard-to-remove-unwanted-khloe-photo/

    1. Hi Tiffany,
      Thank you so much for your positive feedback on my paper, I completely agree with you that this topic is extremely important due to the massive increase in eating disorders from people being on social media.

      Thank you for sharing these links, it really is so interesting that millions of people look up and admire the Kardashians when they advertise such harming body standards. This family being so many young girls role models is very damaging to a lot of people’s mental health’s. I did see the Khloe Kardashian article going around and I thought it was so ridiculous! I saw them doing everything they possibly could to try and take the photo down, when it was literally just a normal photo of her, but without all of the photoshop and facetune! This world is crazy sometimes.

      The TikTok communities which I talked about in my paper are definitely very inspiring and give you more hope about the future of body positivity and social media, so let’s hope these kinds of influencers increase over the years. I strongly believe that if an image has been altered in any way then there should be a disclaimer on the image, just like the way that this has been implemented with Instagram stories. I think this would be such a positive movement and help people’s mental healths immensely. Do you think that this will be implemented at all? Let’s hope so!

      1. Hi Jules,

        I sometimes have to roll my eyes when I see articles about the Kardashians. I find it hard to take them seriously when they say they are honest about their lives, but need to present such altered images on social media. If they, and other people, just said they had airbrushed their pictures, then I think it would help people understand that they can’t achieve the beauty standards they are presented with.

        It does make me happy knowing that there are online communities that support body positivity. I follow Lizzo and Jameela Jamil, and I find their posts about self-love to be wonderful. I do hope social media platforms will implement a rule that altered images have been altered. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

  9. Hi Jules,
    I really enjoyed reading your article! I agree with many of the points you make, especially how social media platforms like Instagram are spreading harmful and often unattainable body image ideals. The platform is increasingly being used by people to share highly edited content to make themselves appear more attractive and desirable. In some ways, I think this can be seen positively – it represents how the online space his given people more control over their identities; people can now manipulate how they are physically perceived! However, this manipulation also has negative effects, which you have clearly outlined, such as creating unattainable beauty standards.

    I definitely agree that TikTok has provided support for people with body image issues by challenging beauty standards and inspiring confidence; however, I think it needs to be acknowledged that Instagram is doing similar things. The app is starting to make people more aware that images are edited, so they have a greater understanding of reality and are less likely to compare themselves. For example, Instagram clearly labels images and videos that use their inbuilt filters. This helps audiences understand that a filter has been used and the person does not look like that in reality; therefore, I think this could stop people from comparing themselves and reduce negative body image issues. Also, there is a new Instagram trend where people post ‘Instagram vs reality’ photos (Tiggemann & Anderberg, 2020). I think this is helping people become more aware that Instagram does not accurately depict real life. Do you think these examples have been as effective as TikTok at alleviating body image issues?

    Thanks so much for sharing this article, it was a great read! If you have time, please check out my paper on Instagram and feminism! Here’s the link: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/28/instagram-celebrities-leading-a-new-wave-of-feminism/#comment-450

    Tiggemann, M., & Anderberg, I. (2020). Social media is not real: The effect of ‘Instagram vs reality’images on women’s social comparison and body image. New Media & Society, 22(12), 2183-2199.

    1. Hi Rebekah, thank you for your response on my paper.

      I partially agree with you in regards to social media allowing us to have more control over our identities, but I am not a fan of the fact that we can manipulate how we are physically perceived as I think everyone should just be who they are naturally, and then we may not have as many comparison and mental health issues, because everyone is raw and real.

      I completely agree with you that Instagram is moving in the same direction as TikTok with body image, I have been loving the ‘Instagram vs reality’ posts. These really do give people an insight into what is real and what is fake. I think that because we follow people and see their posts every day that are highly edited, that we automatically think they look like this 24/7, but in reality they have taken hours to get the perfect angle and then hours editing the photos. When they post the comparison photos it really puts it into perspective for us which I think is amazing. I’m also a big fan of us being able to tell if there is a filter on the Instagram story, as this helps with people’s body image too! However I do think this could be implemented onto Instagram posts, so we can tell if it has been photoshopped or not. Do you agree with that or do you think that would be a bit too much?

      I will definitely go and take a look at your paper now as these two topics interest me a lot!

  10. Hi Jules!

    That was such an interesting and insightful read. I agree, these days social media is flooded with “influencers” who post pictures looking absolutely perfect. Not a single blemish on their skin, flawless hair, makeup and perfect bodies. People including myself, are constantly scrolling through wanting to look like them and are brainwashed into thinking that it is “ugly” to have a bit of a stomach or to not be the “standard” size. But in reality, after these people post their pictures or videos onto social media, they are just like us. As you mentioned, tiktokers like Brooklynne are creating powerful body positivity movements which is extremely important in this day and age because people are glued to their devices so when young people are able to relate to others and not feel alone, it creates a safe space. We all need positivity in our lives and I feel as though body image can be a struggle that everyone deals with in their own ways. I think the only issue I have been seeing is that people are using body positivity to promote unhealthy bodies as well. Overall, I agree with you that it is refreshing to see people posting unedited versions of themselves as it is important for people to know that you can be perfectly healthy and thriving without fitting into society’s standard size and this paper certainly covered that.

    I really enjoyed reading your paper! and if you’re interested, I wrote a paper on health and fitness influencers spreading misinformation within their community which is similar to your topic involving body image. Here’s the link: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/26/612/

    1. Hi Amy,
      Thank you for your response to my paper, I agree with what you’re saying, and I certainly am guilty to scrolling through my feed which is full of influencers and comparing myself to them, which of course isn’t healthy. I have seen a few accounts, not that I follow, of comparisons between pictures of influencers in real life and their own Instagram and it is extremely eye opening and should be shared more. They just look exactly like every other person.

      In regards to some of the trends going around with the body positivity idea, and unhealthy body weights being promoted, I completely agree with you and have had this conversation with a few of my friends. I think it’s great that it is making every body type feel confident, but also I don’t think an obese weight should be idealised to young adolescents as this isn’t a healthy life style choice and can lead to a wide range of diseases. But besides from that, everyone is going through their own problems and should feel loved and confident no matter what.

      I will definitely go and read your paper now, as I find health and fitness influencers very interesting, yet very controversial, as I follow a few myself and a lot come up on my TikTok feed all with lots of different information and outlooks on the topic.

  11. Hi Jules,

    I loved your article I found it interesting and relevant in my own life and you used some amazing points to compliment your argument. While i use Tiktok myself and see powerful and positive women like Sienna on my for you page, I had never considered how almost every other social media platform was a more negative place for body positivity and that Tiktok was indeed the only place i had seen such a large acceptance. I had always thought of Instagram as a platform that was more inclusive towards different bodies but it just goes to show you can’t trust everything you see.

    I too strongly believe that this body positive movement is especially important on apps that young kids use and can be exposed to content like this. As you stated with Brooklynne, there was still a large amount of hate comments left during her videos. Do you believe that this will always be the case or will there finally be a decrease in hate and rudeness towards women that don’t fit the ideal beauty standards?

    This was such a captivating read and very well written!

    1. Hi Jasmine, I really appreciate your positive feedback, thank you.

      I agree that TikTok has been such a great platform for beauty standards and diminishing the ‘size 6 is ideal’ stereotype, and I do think it has been a much more positively influential platform compared to others. A few Instagram influencers have been posting the ‘Instagram vs reality’ which are great, but they definitely aren’t as popular and real as the trend which is on TikTok.

      Children and teenagers are so easily influenced by any content that they see online, which is why I think the TikTok movement is so great, there is obviously going to be other content that isn’t great for children and teens to see, but it will never be perfect I don’t think. In regards to the hate comments, I would absolutely love to see in the future a filter system for comments on social media, that they have to be approved by the social media platforms before they get posted. This would help out with people’s mental healths immensely and would also help the creators of the platforms to want to create more content and not be insecure due to the hate comments they receive. If this isn’t implemented then I believe the hate comments will always keep flowing through because some people don’t like seeing other people succeed and result in putting them down to make themselves feel better.

  12. Hi Jules!
    I really enjoyed reading your paper as I find this topic of discussion extremely interesting and seeing other people’s views on this topic is very captivating to me.
    It’s great to see so many people being aware and trying to raise awareness on body image and beauty standards as I think this is something that has somewhat consumed us, whether people are aware of this or not and this affects us all in some way.
    I wasn’t aware of the TikTok trend to abolish beauty standards and I found the Brooklynne example very fascinating and the fact that she strived through the hate comment to prove her point and get her message across the internet was outstanding and brave. As a lot of the younger generations are now on TikTok, it is amazing to see how people use this platform to eliminate the set beauty standards and to promote self-love.
    I’ve now started to see influencers on Instagram posting photos of themselves without any filters and without the ‘perfect body’ which is very uplifting for other people to see. For example, a lot of fitness influencers have now started posting before and after photos of themselves posing for a photo that allows users to see the difference in their body and how they don’t look the way they do on Instagram 24/7. This gives the users a more realistic notion of what normal is as opposed to these ‘thin’ models who give us the idea of an unattainable body image.
    I think this is amazing as people will now start to embrace their own bodies and find beauty in their own imperfections.

    1. Hi Saranya, thank you for your comment on my paper. I agree with you, the movement on social media which has evolved in the recent year is very uplifting and is counteracting the damage which has been made over the past hundreds of years when it comes to unattainable and false beauty standards. Even from media in the 80s such as billboards and magazine covers, the beauty standards were unacceptable.

      It is great to have a new platform such as TikTok where people can easily create short videos explaining these standards which are unobtainable and showing that there is no definition for beauty.

      I have in fact seen a lot of the influencer’s posts which you were talking about with the before and after photos, and I absolutely love them too! I think they are a great start to embracing our natural beauty and hopefully this helps people with mental health issues which have stemmed from photoshop and face tuned images.

  13. Hi Jules, I really enjoyed reading your paper as it has similar ideas to mine. It is such an interesting and important topic to discuss. I think it was a good decision by Instagram and Tik Tok to display when a filter is being used, as it can cause many impressionable people to compare themselves to something that isn’t even real! Many people have said that after using filters for a period of time, they are too self conscious to post a photo or video without it, this is so common yet such a scary thought. I think that body positivity has become more prevalent in comparison to 5 or 10 years ago. There are many influencers and celebrities posting side by side photos of themselves ‘posed’ and ‘unposed’, to demonstrate that everything isn’t exactly as we see online. As you mentioned, Tik Tok has also become a space for body positivity, with many users posting videos of their authentic, unedited self. I think this is a really important step in changing the way we view beauty in society. Do you have any examples of body positivity pages or public figures that you admire online?

    1. Hi Eleanor, thank you for reading my paper, could you please provide the link to yours so I can read yours too as I find these sort of topics very interested. I completely agree with you in regards to TikTok and Instagram showing that filters are being used, as this makes you aware that if an influential figure has posted a story with a filter on, you are able to use that same filter and be aware of what the filter does to your appearance. The movement going around recently with people showing themselves posed and not posed, is such a positive movement as it really does show people that social media isn’t real life at all! I follow a few people who I admire and am grateful for that they have used their platform to speak up about these issues, some of them being @madalingiorgetta who was once a fitness influencer with millions of followers, but then lost so many people when she decided to move away from that area and utilise her platform to highlight normal bodies and normal beauty standards. Another being @mikzazon, who utilises her platform for similar purposes and is a great role model. Do you follow anyone that you look up to?

      1. Hi Jules, of course! Here is the link to my paper:

        https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/26/the-impact-of-social-media-on-adolescent-body-image/

        Yes exactly! Sometimes I see someone post a video looking amazing, then I click on the filter to see what it looks like.. and it just completely changes my face! So unrealistic! I agree, while I am definitely not confident enough to join in that ‘posed/unposed’ trend, it really helps me and I love to look at those type of posts. Thank you for those tags, I will have a look at them now! One of my favourites is @mikzazon and @katewas, who use their platform to promote positive body image 🙂

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