Body Image is an issue that people have and it is too often overlooked. Media is one of the biggest reasons that people have poor body image. According to Common Sense Media, “Body image doesn't just happen. It's a complex phenomenon influenced by many factors, including parents, peers, and social contexts. But we know that media messages play a powerful role in shaping gender norms and body satisfaction.” I know from personal experience, that media can have a negative influence on the way people, especially teens, view themselves. In society, there is often a negative connotation associated with women larger than a size 0, or a little bit of fat or cellulite. People in our culture often do not often recognize that size is just a number and the cellulite on your thighs is supposed to be there.
A lot of people think that teens are “overreacting” to social media and that we “shouldn’t let photos dictate how we feel.” It’s frustrating to have someone tell you that it isn’t okay to feel the way you do. Simply saying “It’s a photo of somebody that you will never meet, get over it” isn’t something to say to someone who is suffering. I have had people tell me “Just get over it, they are prettier than you and that will never change.” Telling someone that is struggling with self-esteem and body image that they will never be better than someone is basically telling them to give up.
People will go to any extent to get what they want. There are many effects to poor body image. One major thing that people turn to is dieting, which when done excessively can turn into an eating disorder. The most common types are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating. To give a little information on the three in case you aren’t sure on what they are, anorexia is someone starving themselves to lose weight. Bulimia is overeating, feeling guilty or disgusted, and then intentional vomiting to prevent weight gain. Binge eating is simply over eating. Eating disorders are purposely caused to help someone achieve the body they see on social media or other places. It causes harm to the body, sometimes physical harm that cannot be undone. People do not take eating disorders seriously until they know someone who suffers.
There are websites that teens use to create blogs to express themselves. There can be writing but it’s mostly just pictures. Some teens use this negatively by posting pictures of their protruding bones, self-harm scars or cuts, and many other disturbing images. Some teens worship those blogs. They strive to be like the people on the other side of the screen. Little do these teens know, they are striving to be someone that has made themselves unhealthy while striving to be as “pretty” or as “skinny” as someone that they saw on a television, computer, or phone screen. They become locked in the mental mindset that they need to be skinnier, be more “perfect.” When they fail, it is as if they have failed everything and everyone, including themselves. They get depressed and begin to self-harm. Eating Disorders are not beautiful. It is time that we start taking them seriously and acting like these websites are okay because they aren’t.
Even though most people think so negatively of themselves or others, there are some things that people and companies are trying to do. The Dove Speak Beautiful Campaign is a worldwide project to make people feel beautiful in their own skin. According to their website, “Our global research has highlighted a universal issue: that beauty-related pressure increases while body confidence decreases as girls and women grow older – stopping young girls from seeing their real beauty.” It seems as though people are giving up on fighting it and beginning to live with it. You cannot shut down social media, you can try your best to avoid it, but it isn’t easy. So rather than struggle, accept yourself. Be yourself and don’t try to be someone or something that you aren’t.
