How To Fight Body Shaming And Accept The Skin You're In

Body Shaming And Social Media

With a social media dominated society, it is not a surprise many women and men turn to social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, for inspiration for what they should look like. More individuals are becoming accustomed to sharing glimpses of their lives with carefully filtered and edited images of themselves to depict an ideal lifestyle and to alter the way they look and how society views them. Considering how immersed our culture has become within social media, the fact there is a strong correlation between social media, body image, and self-esteem is not alarming.

A study conducted by Unilever for the Dove Beauty company discovered more women look to social media for beauty inspiration, even if this influence is not a positive one. Out of the women who partook in the survey, seventy-five percent felt the portrayal of women on social media was unrealistic, despite the fact these same women were highly influenced by the images they saw online. Research also has shown social media use is associated with numerous body image concerns, depending on the type of online activity users engage with, such as comparing appearances with others who fit the ‘perfect’ standard of beauty. These are similar effects experienced by traditional media, such as magazine and television advertisements.

The New Generation

Body image has become a trending topic on social media lately, as women and some men of all shapes and sizes are posting their unedited photos online, proudly displaying their stretch marks, body rolls, and what society considers 'imperfections' in all of their glory. As a result, a new generation of women (and men) have started their own dialogue of what it means to be beautiful while embracing imperfections rather than just focusing on trying to achieve the 'perfect' body. As studies have shown, body image and self-esteem issues are a significant issue both genders and people of all ages struggle with. However, stressing over body image is particularly an issue for young women, who are seven times more likely to worry about their body image than their career.

With new initiatives taking a step in the right direction, such as Dove's Beauty Campaign, and social media influencers opening up the dialogue on social interfaces to discuss these body image issues, millennials have the power to not only find body acceptance but to possibly put an end to body shaming online.