Social media has a big impact on all people in different ways, one of those ways being problems with body image. People have started battling these standards that social media has created.
People have been affected by influencers on social media posting videos and pictures of their ‘perfect’ bodies. YJA asked Shania, a teen girl, how social media has affected her body confidence. She said, “It has built standards for me to compare myself to, which are achievable if you put your mind to it.” Another girl, Elena, countered with the view, “Why should we compare ourselves to something which damages our mental health.”
Some people have taken to social media and used posts to challenge these ‘standards’. People are being encouraged to stop using filters and photoshop to edit themselves, instead posting their natural and beautiful selves.
BBC has recommended to change the focus of your feed. So instead of edited pictures, “finding inspiring landscapes, delicious food, and cute dogs to fill your Instagram feed might just help you remember there’s more to life than what you look like.” A Forbes news article offered some more tips on how to keep a positive image of your body.
Unfollow or unfriend accounts that try to sell you products with their bodies.
Keep up with accounts that promote healthy living with factual information.
Tap into the way body positive influencers treat body image.
Avoid speaking negatively about your body, especially in real-life.
Disconnect from social media to be active.
Kristena, Yr 9
Boston High School