Conference paper – Olivia Allen

Abstract:

This paper examines how social media and the affordances of image sharing apps where the ability for users to edit, retouch and enhance their images is increasingly innovating, and has resulted in rigid beauty standards emerging on social media. As a result, these standards have contributed to the negative development of poor self-esteem and body image concerns within the community of developing teenagers in the fan base of beauty influencers (Tiggermann et al, 2018).  Photo-based online platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook are the most used apps for users within this community and is used as a platform to project their very best selves, whether it be their appearance or their lifestyles (Tiggermann et al, 2018).  Teenage girls who are still developing their own identities and self-perceptions, have become a community who worship celebrities and influencers and follow them, their lives and their appearance online loyally, which has seen to affect how these users view themselves in comparison, leading to demise of self-perception and body image amongst this community (Brown & Tiggermann, 2016). Social comparison theory can allow us to better understand how body image amongst and self-perception of developing teenage girls online can decline as it argues that users of social media decipher how attractive or desirable, they are by comparing themselves to the role models they that they follow on social media. Social media and its affordances allow users to be able to retouch and enhance images to align with the rigid beauty standards set within society, reinforcing unrealistic body ideals towards young women online and furthering this rapid decline in self-esteem and distorted view of self-identity (Tiggermann et al, 2018).

 

Social media and the affordances of image sharing apps where the ability for users to edit, retouch and enhance their images is increasingly innovating, and has resulted in rigid beauty standards emerging on social media. As a result, these standards have contributed to the negative development of poor self-esteem and body image concerns within the community of developing teenagers in the fan base of beauty influencers (Tiggermann et al, 2018).  Photo-based online platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook are the most used apps for users within this community and is used as a platform to project their very best selves, whether it be their appearance or their lifestyles (Tiggermann et al, 2018).  Teenage girls who are still developing their own identities and self-perceptions, have become a community who worship celebrities and influencers and follow them, their lives and their appearance online loyally, which has seen to affect how these users view themselves in comparison, leading to demise of self-perception and body image amongst this community (Brown & Tiggermann, 2016). Social comparison theory can allow us to better understand how body image amongst and self-perception of developing teenage girls online can decline as it argues that users of social media decipher how attractive or desirable, they are by comparing themselves to the role models they that they follow on social media. Social media and its affordances allow users to be able to retouch and enhance images to align with the rigid beauty standards set within society, reinforcing unrealistic body ideals towards young women online and furthering this rapid decline in self-esteem and distorted view of self-identity (Tiggermann et al, 2018). According to recent findings, there has been a significant rise in rates of cosmetic surgery amongst teenage girls and adolescent women which are found to be linked to rising feelings of inadequacy about body image and appearance and further argue that social media and its affordances, allow unauthentic and unrealistic beauty ideals to become a norm amongst the world of media and damage the self-perceptions of developing teenage girls (Di Gesto et al, 2022). In recent years, there has emerged a community of women online who portray a shift in the community of young women where these unrealistic and rigid beauty standards are rejected and  a more supportive and body positive environment is now cultivated online (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019). Though these communities are emerging amongst the digital space however, the internalised beauty standards and the nature of comparison amongst young women will likely continue to affect the body image and self-esteem of the coming generations of young women, especially as long as image sharing apps continue to advance and editing and retouching abilities continue to expand online (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019).

 

 

The specific ways that social media and comparison culture can impact the self-esteem of adolescent girls, including the exposure to edited, retouched and enhanced images.

 

With social media’s increasing relevance amongst societies day to day lifestyles, the community of developing teenage girls online are unable to avoid engaging with social media daily and are constantly exposed to unauthentic portrays of enhanced and retouched influencers and online role models (Tiggermann et al, 2018). The social comparison theory makes the argument that women decide how attractive they are by comparing themselves with the beauty ideals they see represented online. This theory aligns with the idea that social media has facilitated in the rise of comparison culture amongst developing young adolescent women and negatively impacts their self-perception (Tiggermann et al, 2018). Social comparison amongst young females has reached new levels as the rise of the industry of influencers has occurred over the last decade, seeing Instagram become a platform where users with large followings are editing their images, using filters and managing their appearance to set unrealistic expectations for young girls viewing and engaging with this content (Tiggermann et al, 2018).  Photo-based social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook have grown into the most used social media platforms for members of the community to share their very best selves, whether it be their appearance or their lifestyles (Yang et al, 2018). The ability for users online to edit and curate their images to only show their best features has recently been identified as a contributing factor to the rise in body image concerns amongst female adolescence. This constant exposure that teenage girls have to the ‘ideal body’ images and ‘ideal lifestyles’ has led to an increase in body and facial dissatisfaction as well as the general unhappiness of female youth (Yang et al, 2018). With the flexible and highly accessible nature of social media, individuals have the capacity to actively participate and engage with this edited and curated content for as long and as often as they would like and has seen to fester into an addictive nature and further contributes towards this decline in a negative self-perception (Tiggermann et al, 2018).

 

The worship of celebrities and influencers amongst the community of young and impressionable teenage girls, has affected how members of this community view themselves and tarnishes their body image (Brown & Tiggermann, 2016).  With the flexibility of social media and users’ constant access to image sharing platforms, women are closely engaged with this content on a daily basis and unachievable and unrealistic expectations of beauty and standards within society and placed onto the young and vulnerable youth of women (Yang et al, 2018).  Influencers in the media such as Kim Kardashian for example have led to women developing specific insecurities and striving towards specific beauty standards such as a fox like eye shape and a tight jawline, rigid jawline. Bella Hadid and her defined cheekbones has also become a popular fixation amongst the community of young women online (Brown & Tiggermann, 2016).  Celebrities in the modern digital era have a much stronger and personal presence online compared to past celebrities who were only talked about in magazines and through the tabloids (Brown & Tiggermann, 2016). People are able to form strong connections and a relationship with influencers of today and therefore worship them on a deeper level than ever before. This level of worship has seen young women to compare themselves to these influencers in a more intimate way where young girls are able to compare themselves in specific and damaging ways to influencers who have the money and ability to alter their faces and enhance their features in unrealistic ways, which has resulted in a steep decline in body image and self-perception amongst a developing female youth who do not have the same abilities (Brown & Tiggermann, 2016).

 

 

Social comparison theory indicates that users of social media and the internet make the decision of how attractive or desirable they are by comparing themselves to the beauty figures they see online (Yang et al, 2018). Social media allows a platform for young women in particular to witness retouched and enhanced images of societies idols in their prime and who fit the mould of the socially constricted beauty standards of today (Yang et al, 2018). This has grown to become extremely detrimental to the development of young women’s identity and how they measure up against these unrealistic societal expectations. Recent studies have shown that this level of constant comparison has resulted in higher levels of identity stress as well as an increase in levels of negative emotions and a decrease in the general wellbeing of the female youth (Yang et al, 2018).  Studies have shown that the extent to which users spend on social media, directly impacts the level that individuals judge themselves against others and leads them to feel undesirable and unsatisfied. Individuals choose their very best identities to portray online with research showing that users generally upload images where they look thin and objectively attractive (Yang et al, 2018). This constant narrative of the ‘ideal women’ and the ‘ideal body’ which is being pushed out to young women who have developing self-images is extremely harmful and only further contributes towards a low self-esteem amongst women and have led to greater thoughts about dieting and changing one’s self to fit this ‘standard’ of beauty often shown online (Yang et al, 2018). The need for young women to look like what they see online rather than embracing their uniqueness is ever growing and as social media develops, so does this constant dissatisfaction and comparison culture amongst teenage girls online (Yang et al, 2018).

 

 

Plastic surgery and women feeling dissatisfied with their physical appearance, looking to alter themselves in order to meet the standards and beauty expectations set by social media and influencers.

 

The acceptance of cosmetic surgery and young women altering their appearance through surgical means has spread rapidly as a result of comparison culture amongst young girls with impressionable minds who strive towards the unrealistic standards that are rigidly set online. Body dissatisfaction and a decrease in the general mood and wellbeing of this community has expanded amongst this community as a result, and many young teenagers look to cosmetic surgery as a solution (Di Gesto et al, 2022). With technology advancing, so do the tools we are able to use on social media such as the beauty filter, which blurs out any fine lines or imperfections, or editing apps which allow influencers to modify body shape or retouch their flaws. (Di Gesto et al, 2022) .To the public eye of young females, this is becoming increasingly damaging as it develops a negative mindset and perception around body image and sets unrealistic expectations for women. These unrealistic body ideals have seen users to look to cosmetic surgery to alleviate feelings of inadequacy about body image and appearance without it (Di Gesto et al, 2022). Research has shown, that it is not the image sharing apps such as Facebook and Instagram themselves that contribute towards this growing issue amongst young females, but the endless affordances of these platforms such as viewing, posting, commenting or sharing images of celebrities and influencers that contribute most towards this growing concern (Di Gesto et al, 2022). It is the active participation and intimate engagement that social media platforms now allow users, that have caused comparison culture and young women to feel so inadequate and dissatisfied within their own identities. It is these apps and their functions that allow users to digitally enhance their beauty that has led so many young women online to feel that they are imperfect in comparison to what they view on social media and has led so many females down the road of cosmetic surgery (Di Gesto et al, 2022).

 

 

The importance of creating a supportive and empowering environment online for young girls which empowers their unique identities.

 

Social media and online networks have been described as a place that may cause an increased risk for eating disorders and body image concerns due to its image sharing based affordances with capacity for modification, editing and filtering, creating unrealistic ideals which are presented to young developing minds (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019).  However, in recent years there has been a rise in the community and groups of women online who are focused on making a shift in these outdated beauty ideals which exist online, towards a more supportive, body positive environment (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019).  This online community is focused on releasing the pressure for young women to fit this ‘beauty standard’ which is set online through image sharing platforms, and instead promote self-acceptance and compassion towards the body (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019). Through the sharing of real images, without editing, positive commenting and sharing authentic stories and struggles, we have seen this community be able to promote the importance of embracing all bodies and appearances and create a more positive and safe space online in contrast to what we have seen and continue to see for so many years on social media (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019). Though this community focused on body positivity continues to emerge and has made a positive impact, the rigid beauty standards set by influencers and models, still continue to loom over social media and into the lives and developing minds of young women. These two communities, one focused on supporting women and the other focused on comparison and competition are at a battle and due to the capabilities of image sharing apps and advancing technology, users will highly likely be able to continue retouching, enhancing and editing their images in order to suit these beauty standards (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019). This would indicate that no matter how body positive we become online, due to the nature of social media, the internalised beauty standards and tendency for comparison amongst young women will likely be around for a long time and continue to affect the body image and self-esteem of the coming generations of young women (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019).

 

Conclusion:

Social media and its image-based platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook have allowed a platform for users to portray their online identities in the most flattering way using the affordances of these apps to enhance and edit their appearances and lifestyles (Tiggermann et al, 2018). The youth of women online are constantly exposed to the rigid beauty standards which have been set by celebrities and influencers affecting how their viewers identify themselves, leading to comparison, a negative self-perception a tarnished body image (Brown & Tiggermann, 2016). The social comparison theory makes the argument that young women make the decision of how attractive or objectively desirable they are by comparing themselves to the women they see online and against the beauty standards set by an online society. These standards have caused a rise in use of cosmetic surgery as well as feelings of inadequacy about body image (Di Gesto et al, 2022).  In recent years however, the online community of women who support positive body image and celebration of one’s authenticity has emerged in social media platforms, where the mentality to embrace each other’s natural and unedited beauty online is encouraged (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019). Though these communities now exist, the internalised beauty standards and the nature of comparison amongst young women continues to advance as editing and retouching abilities continue to develop online (Kelly & Daneshjoo, 2019).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

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

 

Di Gesto, C., Nerini, A., Policardo, G., Matera, C. (2022). Predictors of Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery: Instagram Images-Based Activities, Appearance Comparison and Body Dissatisfaction Among Women. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, (46)1, 502-512. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2627263376/fulltextPDF/E21965B8707D4C3FPQ/1?accountid=10382

 

Kelly, L., Daneshjoo, s. (2019) Instagram & Body Positivity Among Female Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of adolescent health, 64(2). https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(18)30741-9/fulltext

 

Rodgers, R., Meyer, C., McCaig, D. (2020). Characterising a body positive online forum: Resistance and pursuit of appearance-ideals. Body Image, (33) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.03.005

 

Tiggermann, M., Hayden, S., Brown, Z., Veldhuis, J. (2018). The effect of Instagram ‘likes’ on women’s social comparison and body dissatisfaction. Body Image, 26, 90-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.07.002

 

Yang, C., Holden, S., Carter, M., Webb, J. (2018). Social media social comparison and identity distress at the college transition: A duel-path model. Journal of Adolescence, (69) 92-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.09.007