The Impact of Social Media on Body Image and Self-Esteem
How social media can take a toll on your mental health and what you can do to prevent it.
Photo by Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash
This post exposes the positive and negative effects of social media on body image and self-steem, and provides a few tips to make your social platforms a place you actually enjoy.
Disclaimer: This post is not intended to be used as a replacement for professional treatment. If you feel social media is taking over your mental health, please reach out to a professional for specialized care.
The Role of Social Media in Shaping Body Image
Various generations have suffered (and continue to do so) the effects of the media’s opinion about their body image. Millennials and Gen Z, for example, have lived through the era of widely-successful TV shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, Sex and The City, The OC, and others, where the main characters had the same hegemonical body image.
This created a massive self-esteem issue, especially for teenagers who wanted to look like their favorite characters. There’s nothing wrong with the type of bodies displayed in television, but it was the lack of diversity that took this to the next level.
Years later, the boom of social media intensified these standards, although this time it was nearly impossible to ignore since they can be found in every platform, every time you open up your computer or phone.
Currently, there are many different social media accounts and creators dedicated to spreading body positivity and helping others feel good about their body, which years before we didn’t have as much access to.
Effects Of Social Media On Body Image
There are multiple positive and negative effects of social media on self-esteem, including empowerment and representation, as well as comparison culture. Let’s break down some of the most rewarding and harmful effects of social media on body image:
Positive Effects
Body positivity movements. There are hundreds of body positivity movements online today with influencers, activists and communities promoting the acceptance of diverse body types, challenging traditional beauty standards and spreading kind and loving words to other people.
Educational content. Social media is now used to share educational content about body image, self-love and mental health through informative posts, articles and videos that empower people to embrace their unique features.
Negative Effects
Unrealistic beauty standards. Social media often promotes unrealistic beauty standards through edited images, filters and idealized portrayals, typically shared by influential people we admire, like celebrities. This has a negative impact on people’s self-perception and body image, leading to an increase in cosmetic medical procedures, depression and anxiety.
Cyberbullying & body shaming. The dark side of social media, where negative comments and harmful behavior online can significantly impact a person's body image and self-esteem, often leading to tragic outcomes.
Fostering A Healthy Relationship Between Social Media & Self-Esteem
With all of this information, fostering a healthy relationship between social media and your self-esteem becomes a number one priority.
It might seem unthinkable, but believe me when I say having a healthy and safe space online is more than possible and beneficial. Here’s how I achieved this goal:
Curate Your Feed
In with the healthy, out with the toxic. If you have a picture or image in your feed that makes you uncomfortable or constantñy compare yourself with others, remove it. Unfollow people and content that don’t resonate with your personality and self-esteem. You want your social media platforms to be a place of inspiration, positivity and overall safety, make it one!
Limit Your Screen Time
Establish designated times for using social media to prevent over-exposure. I recommend you avoid checking your social media accounts right when you wake up and before bed, thus it has been proven to mess with your sleeping quality and mental health (Source, National Library of Medicine).
Have A Life Outside Your Phone
It sounds too direct, but it’s true. Rediscover your joy of offline activities like picking up that hobby you left behind, finally hanging out with your distanced friends, practicing a new sport, whatever makes you feel more connected to the real world.
Final Words
Social media has both positive and negative effects on body image and self-esteem, but with little actions like removing unwanted content, practicing self-love and putting your phone aside for some time, you can have healthy and inspiring platforms that actually make your life better.
Although this article provides a useful guide to change your negative social media feeds to peaceful and body positive ones, it does not replace any professional help about mental health and its impact on your health.
Take care of your mental health properly, and don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional for help if you feel like you need it.
Keywords: social media self-esteem body image on social media effects of social media on body image