Social Media and Body Image Identity

Social Media and Body Image Identity

Media plays a significant role in shaping an individual's sense of body image identity, especially during the formative tween years. Eating disorders, disordered eating, low self-esteem, and poor psychological wellness are all frequently caused by body dissatisfaction, which is described as an individual's negative ideas and feelings about his or her body. Although there are many other variables that contribute to body dissatisfaction, such as biological, evolutionary, psychological, and societal aspects, some people have stated that social media is one of these sociocultural components. The degree to which social media affects body dissatisfaction is debatable, and the evidence is conflicting; some studies find links between social media use and negative body image, while others find no direct relationships at all. Still others speculate that social media may indirectly affect body dissatisfaction by creating opportunities for other factors that predict it, like peer competition. For instance, the portrayal of Latina girls in mainstream American media significantly impacts their perception of their bodies and ethnic identities (Valdivia, 2011, p. 96). Valdivia (2011) contends that young Latina girls are constantly exposed to idealized beauty images, often focusing on Eurocentric features and body types, through various media platforms. Consequently, the unrealistic standards associated with one's appearance can lead to internalized feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction, as individuals may feel pressure to conform to these expectations. Therefore, this essay seeks to explore media’s impact on individual’s sense of body image identity.   

The media has a big impact on how people feel about their bodies, which affects how they see their value, attractiveness, and self-worth. Media channels such as television, magazines, social media, and commercials frequently impose unattainable beauty standards on their audience, leading them to feel inadequate and have irrational expectations. A culture of comparison and self-doubt is reinforced by digitally manipulated representations of idealized body types, particularly among vulnerable groups like adolescents and people with mental health disorders (Menzies et al., 2013, p. 15). Furthermore, media representations frequently marginalize or stigmatize different body types while promoting particular body types that conform to cultural standards of thinness, muscularity, or particular physical attributes. The way in which some people are portrayed creates negative stereotypes and discrimination on the basis of looks, which makes people feel excluded and alienated. Exposure to such imagery can further lead to internalized biases, negative self-perceptions, disordered eating behaviors, body dysmorphia, and other mental health issues. 

Additionally, filters and other technological tools on social media can enable people to build the identity they want. They build their own identity, the person they aspire to be, and are subsequently seen and receive that type of attention on social media. This allows them to acquire the attention they desire in the real world but are unable to obtain. However, over time, this could be detrimental to the person's psychological and emotional health since they are faking a character and distorting who they really are, which makes them invisible in the virtual world (Menzies et al., 2013, p. 21). 

Social networking sites give users a platform for self-expression, but having many channels for expression also makes it difficult to strike a balance between different identities and their target audiences. Social media gives people the ability to express themselves freely, enabling them to express themselves online in whatever way they see fit. This is what social media gives each unique human being. We have the opportunity to express ourselves on social media, which allows us to overcome some of the challenges we may face in real life. Social media gives us the ability to alter who we are and develop an identity that we might not necessarily do offline owing to things like low self-esteem or particular roles we have to play in real life.  According to McGarry & Mannik (2015), representations in the media are significant, have backstories, and contribute to the formation of shared memories and identities. Generally speaking, visual media functions as a filter to organize and edit the past and present. We have the freedom to be as near to or as distant from our genuine selves as we like when we are online. Some media users, however, can lose sight of the persona they are attempting to project online, which could result in emotions of being untrue and perhaps harm the person's emotional and mental health. McGarry & Mannik (2015) contends that using social media gives us the opportunity to experiment with different online personas and identities that we choose to develop based on the social media platform we are using. Based on the comments received from that user's audience, we then incorporate those comments into our new identities, helping us to better understand who the user needs to become. Since we have influence over how we construct our identities and understand ourselves through the usage of social media, we can decide how to present ourselves offline depending on the feedback of our online identity tests. 

In addition to upholding limited ideas of beauty, media portrayals also touch on other facets of identity, which exacerbates the complexity of people's opinions of their bodies. Notably, the media frequently perpetuates cultural standards on physical appearance and entwined these ideals with ideas of sexuality, gender, and ethnicity (McGarry & Mannik, 2015). For instance, negative perceptions can be reinforced and these communities' marginalization made worse by stereotypical representations of particular racial or ethnic groupings. Gendered expectations are further exacerbated by media portrayals, which frequently perpetuate traditional gender norms and expectations around body shape. Due to the complexity of several identity aspects entwined with body image identity, people's perceptions of themselves are further impacted by media because of intersectionality. As a result, media depictions affect how society view’s identity and belonging in addition to defining beauty standards. 

In conclusion, the media significantly influences individuals' perceptions of body image identity, especially during formative years like adolescence. Media platforms, including television, magazines, and social media, often imposes unrealistic beauty standards, leading to feelings of inadequacy and perpetuating a culture of comparison. Furthermore, media representations often perpetuate stereotypes and discrimination by marginalizing certain body types. The rise of social media has revolutionized identity curation, but it also poses a risk of detachment from reality and potential mental health issues. In addition, media portrayals often intersect with other identity facets like ethnicity and gender, enhancing the complexity of body image perceptions. Thus, media not only influences beauty ideals but also shapes societal notions of identity and belonging. 

References

McGarry, K., & Mannik, L. (Eds.). (2015). Reclaiming Canadian bodies: Representation and visual media. 

Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Menzies, R., LeFrançois, B. A., & Reaume, G. (2013). Introducing mad studies. Mad matters: A critical reader in Canadian Mad Studies, 1-22. 

Valdivia, A. N. (2011). This tween bridge over my Latina girl back: The US mainstream negotiates ethnicity. In Mediated girlhoods: New explorations of girls’ media culture (pp. 93-112). Peter Lang Publishing.