Social media is a form of communication where you can post videos, pictures, blogs and statuses. It is a form of online networking. It can also be used to connect and interact with people from all over the world. We can all agree social media is used by most people daily. Some people might say that social media affects teenage girls’ body image in a positive way because pictures on social media posted by real people without Photoshop, can help to promote natural beauty. Another reason people believe it promotes positive body image is because Instagram banned hashtags including pro-eating disorder tags. Researchers say, “Instagram has also taken a progressive stance on discouraging negative body image by urging users to not promote or glorify self-harm.” She means that by not allowing hashtags with things like, pro-bulimia and pro-anorexia, Instagram is trying to erase negative body image from their website. Although I agree that we can see images of real, natural beauty on Instagram, it does necessarily mean that social media doesn't affect girls’ body image in a negative way. I believe that it is easy for one to compare themselves to others on social media.

Facebook is used widely among people of all ages, meaning that young girls and women alike use Facebook all of the time. For most, Facebook is a site one would check daily. Over one billion people have a Facebook account. This leaves a lot of room for people to compare themselves to others. I believe that Facebook has a huge impact on girls body image in a negative way. Researchers say, “Women who spent more time were also more likely to say they felt negative after seeing someone else's photos.” This shows that people who spend a lot of their time browsing on Facebook find it easier to have a negative body image. I also think that body image concerns are very much linked to comparing themselves to other people. In a recent survey, young women were asked how they felt about social media and body image. They said, “This pressure comes from both media images and interactions with peers.” The pressure to look good comes from people all over.

Instagram is another form of social media that has been proven by authors and scholars to have a negative impact on social media. Essena O’Neill was an Australian model for Instagram. This means she got paid to post pictures of herself that were considered beautiful. She also was paid to promote different types of brands through pictures and videos on Instagram. This is a common practice on Instagram. Instagram feeds are filled with beautiful girls posting pictures of themselves while promoting a brand or different products. Essena O'Neill made a YouTube video and announced that she was quitting Instagram and all other social media. Essena herself says, “Without realizing, I have spent majority of my teenage life being addicted to social media, social approval, social status and my physical appearance.” Essena O'Neill is a perfect example of someone who felt that social media encouraged negative body image because she was pretending to be something she wasn't just to gain approval from other people. She would spend hours perfecting a picture just to make herself look skinnier.

I believe that social media has a huge impact on how we feel about ourselves. I think that our society has given so much pressure to have the "perfect body" or just to look good. In my opinion we should all stop posting pictures through a filter and embrace our real beauty!