Social media is a rapidly growing and evolving industry. It has aided us in medicine, with propaganda, making discoveries, keeping us up to date with the changing world. It is also very popular with teenagers through Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. There is no doubt that social media has benefits and has aided our newly electronic world, so what is the issue with it?

        As a teenager in today’s world, I will not deny being a user of social media. Scrolling through my “for you” page,  my attention is frequently drawn to models wearing tiny bikinis, gym girls in matching two pieces, and tips for healthier lifestyles. Next, I start to compare my body to these women. I ask myself, “why doesn’t my waist look the way hers does?, why are my thighs so huge?, why can’t I just be thinner?”. And all because of 15 minutes on Instagram, I find myself in a negative space. 

        Unfortunately, bad body image is common.  According to the Social Media Victims Law Center, 80 percent of women are not satisfied by the way their body appears. Many women feel pressure on how to look based on society’s standards of what a woman is. Furthermore, on television shows, movies, commercials and even mannequins, women are all shown as being thin, a small waist, and typically unproportionate breast and glute distribution. Especially for teen girls, what they see online and on social media affects them because people who “look like them” are not deemed as beautiful enough. Moreover, 22 percent of teenage girls only feel validation based on how many “likes” they receive on publications on social media. These unrealistic expectations for girls can lead to depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Behaviors such as smoking, vomiting, skipping meals or taxing laxatives results from attempts to “fix” their body. The wide spreading social media platform is harming the teenagers of the world more than benefiting them. 

       However, although women are seen as victims of social media body image, men are also victims of the algorithm. Often referred to as “fitspiration”, or the inspiration to appear physically in shape, boys are pressured to look masculine or have high percentages of muscle mass to be seen as attractive. On screen, men are seen as greek gods or superheroes, a look that is highly unrealistic without drugs involved. Not enough attention is drawn towards insecurities of men, because society tells them “be tough”. In conclusion, men and women both suffer mentally and physically because of social media. So why don’t we break the gender barrier, and raise awareness for both men and women dealing with this struggle and protect our teens from the effects of this dark electronic hole?  

Works Cited

Bergman, Matthew. “Understanding Social Media & Body Image.” Social Media Victim’s Law Center, 2022, socialmediavictims.org/mental-health/body-image/.

Holtermann, Callie. “Does Social Media Affect Your Body Image?” The New York Times, 21 Mar. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/03/21/learning/does-social-media-affect-your-body-image.html.