The teenage years for an individual are the most impressionable and vulnerable period in one’s life. Add social media into the equation, and there can be some potentially harmful consequences to one’s mental health. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, social media is websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. When discussing social media platforms the most common apps that are included are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. These are the social media platforms but without forgetting television and magazines play a role as well. As discussed below, the main consequences that can arise in the mental health of teenage and pre-teen adolescent females are lower self-esteem and body dissatisfaction. This means that exposure to mainstream media is directly causing these concerns to arise in teenage girls. For example, girls as young as 11-12 years old compared their body image unfavorably to those viewed on television (Lev and Bunumgarten 2014). Comment by Macie Keim: Some other way to stress the importance
With the female teenage population being exposed to these social networking platforms, it is almost inevitable that they are then exposed to the thin-ideal body image; The thin-ideal body image is what is portrayed through the media as the ideal body image of a woman, being tall and thin (Chang and Lee 2014). In other words, the standard to which this demographic is taught resembles societal pressures. This appearance-focused lifestyle that social media platforms permit, at times, encourage, can give these females the impression that their self-worth is based on their appearance. Consequently, self-worth tends to be lowered if they do not match up with societal ideals (Forbes 2012). A logical solution to this problem would be to normalize plus-size models; Considering the ideal body size is unattainable for most women, since 40% of women in the world are overweight and 15% are obese (Clayton 2017). The research that will be outlined throughout this analysis is not limited to the United States; Instead, it compares American ideals to other cultures around the world such as Argentinean, Brazilian, and Japanese ideals. To combat these health concerns, retailers are taking a stand to fight the traditionally thin ideal by incorporating average or plus-size models into their social media campaigns, which is essentially helping cure the thin-ideal body image (Clayton 2017). Essentially, the epidemic of body dissatisfaction for the female youth is derived from mainstream media. A realistic solution would be to expose these girls to more body-positive aspects of society and fashion. Fortunately, simply by normalizing plus-size models and raising awareness, the problem can become limited and less widespread. Alike other issues that are happening in society, it is easier said than done.
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Most young girls grow up watching Disney princess movies; A stereotypical youth activity for most girls. Every princess character portrayed is slim and tall with an extremely tiny waist. This is potentially the first encounter these girls have with thin thin-ideal that society presents adolescents with. Researchers report that some children as young as five years old are concerned about their weight (Hayes 2010). Additionally, there is evidence suggesting that some children are aware of the thin ideal that exists and can identify dieting as a type of method to attain the ideal body (Hayes 2010). This is crucial in understanding the weight of this topic; Since the awareness of this stereotype begins at such a young age and is then present with these individuals throughout their life. Once an individual has a dissatisfied body image, it is then hard to overcome this internal battle.
Not to go without mention, different cultures have different idealistic body images. America’s idealistic body image is a tall and thin woman, as shown throughout the Disney princess movies. Nonetheless, in cultures such as Brazil, thinner bodies are associated with physical weakness. In this culture, a curvier-shaped woman with thicker thighs and hips is perceived as more attractive than those who do not (Forbes 2012). However, due to United States media exposure, the ideals of our culture are being shifted into Brazilian societies. Similarly to America, a body cult surrounding the perfect body is deeply embedded into Brazilian culture (Forbes 2012). Traditionally, as mentioned before, the idealistic image for these women is the guitar bodies; Which are the full hips, thighs, and buttocks accompanied by small breasts (Forbes 2012). With the influence of telenovelas and magazines, the optimal body type has drastically changed. Similarly to the American culture, the bodily pressures that our society presents its young women with come from the media.
Argentina on the other hand, is known for having extremely thin models. This culture is also known for having limited clothing sizes for women. In other words, there are very minimal options for plus-size women. In 2005, in the majority of stores, there were no sizes larger than a U.S. size 8 (Forbes 2012). It is estimated that 10% of adolescent girls in this society experience some form of an eating disorder (Forbes 2012). This is a direct result of the thin ideal that this society presents female adolescents with.
Modern Japanese values are shifting from collectivism towards individualism and personal freedom (Brokhoff and Mussap 2012). Collectivism views entail a society of conformity and obedience. The more individualistic views are the focus on appearance and physical self-improvement. The modernized culture of Japan has adopted modern media which promotes appearance values that differ from their previous generations (Brokhoff and Mussap 2012). This leads to the promotion of unrealistic body expectations for young Japanese females. This social structure has also been implemented in what could be referred to as a “shame culture; To add to this, it is predicted that this is the reason body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Japanese girls is associated with the need for social approval and general appearance self-awareness (Brokhoff and Mussap 2012). Once again, these researchers suggest that the more connections that are made between body dissatisfaction, cultural differences, and the influence of social media, ultimately the more information we will have for creating a solution in the future.
Other researchers Ann-Marie Lew and Traci Mann discuss similar topics such as cultural pressures stemming from the media and its correlation to body dissatisfaction. As most research states, the mass media portrays an unrealistic body image of women; The adolescents who are beginning to mature are then expected to fit into these ideals to be considered beautiful. Numerous studies have been performed examining the relationship between upward social comparisons with idealized media imagery and the result of increased body dissatisfaction (Lew and Mann 2007). A proposal these researchers had was women with higher levels of body dissatisfaction can protect themselves from the negative effects of media exposure by comparing themselves in writing with media images of fashion models in non-appearance dimensions (Lew and Mann 2007). In other words, individuals who can handle the pressures of society without letting their self-image be altered as easily should continue their daily routines as far as social media; However, those individuals with lower self-esteem should alter their routines to reduce exposure.
As described above, research has shown the prevalence of this problem. It is important to understand the possible solutions to the thin ideal that has been suggested throughout the different articles. One is to become aware of the problem and alter social media tendencies accordingly. Another is to normalize plus-size models. The most logical solution to this ongoing problem would be to erase the stigma of thin, so-called beautiful, models and incorporate models who are average to plus size. In doing so, this allows the females growing up in a media-filled society to see other body types that are still viewed as model status.
Social media causing body dissatisfaction among individuals is a relatively new issue our society is facing. To put it into perspective, Friendster was one of the first major social networking sites which was launched in 2002 followed by Facebook in 2004. Seventeen years later the consequences are now noticeably catching up to the users. One may ask why the itch to erase the thin ideal is happening now opposed to years ago when it was first shown. Evelyn Wang, the senior vice president of Wet n’ Wild’, a drug store makeup brand, suggests an answer to that question; “It’s the fear of doing something differently. What if you do it and no one responds? It’s happening now because there’s been a buildup in demand from consumers who don’t want to see something unattainable or unrelatable. And the brands that are brave enough to do it are getting the acknowledgment and positive responses on social media” (Cheng 2017). Considering social media has become a driving force and undoubtedly an influencer to its users, it is crucial to promote these new and effective campaigns.
Brianna Marquez, a plus-size model for Wet n’ Wild, provides Glamour with a personal story expressing the effects the thin ideal has had on her adolescent life. She begins by declaring the hope of having more visibility, and more access to visual language and vocabulary around different types of beauty. She goes on to explain that this can empower the next generation to feel better about themselves. Marquez admits to growing up with shame surrounding her body. She continues by saying if she saw more women who looked like her in campaigns, everything would have been different (Cheng 2017). This is a first-hand example clarifying the importance of the issue that most girls are faced with. However, the quicker we as a society can reverse the trend the more hope there will be for the future generations of girls.
When expressing the different ways of raising awareness for a topic heavily influenced by social media, hashtags play a huge role in spreading the word. For example, Wet n’ Wild promoted the hashtag #BreakingBeauty which is ultimately trying to rewrite the standards of the term beautiful for women to acknowledge. Dove started another hashtag, #BeautyBias which is another endeavor to educate the general public on the bias that is shown throughout mainstream media. When the adolescent girls of society continue with their regular media routines, they should be able to see body positivity. Major companies such as Dove Beauty and Wet n’ Wild use hashtags on their pages and post pictures, ultimately taking the first step of combating this issue that growing girls are faced with- exposure to the thin ideal.
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