The relationship between social media and body image is still a grey area. With the rise of technology and apps like Instagram, people are exposed to an enormous amount of influence with every scroll. There have not been definitive answers, however, to the effects of what we are exposed to online each and every day. Selfies, vacation pictures, sponsored ad posts and Instagram models selling hair growth gummies: how much influence can we take before it starts to eat away at one’s self-concept and body image? One Instagram account in particular, known as “@celebface”, is dedicated to revealing the FaceTuned and photoshopped photos posted by celebrities and popular influencers. It poses two questions: does Instagram promote negative messages for their audience, and if so, who exactly is responsible? There’s two sides to this argument. One side is that people with a large audience online should be free to post whatever they feel. It is their profile after all, and if they choose to FaceTune themselves to be unrecognizable, they should do so at their own discretion. Similarly, if they choose to post ‘revealing’ photos, they should have the right to do so. Part of our online culture surrounds body positivity; “#bodyposi” to be exact. This has enabled many people to gain confidence with the support of others online, and sexual self-expression has advanced.
However, there are underlying issues that simply cannot go unrecognized. With the projection of certain images, particularly certain facial and body features that are becoming the “ideal” concept of beauty, Instagram can be a detrimental place for those heavily involved in it. There are filters that clear your skin, slim your nose, make your eyes and lips bigger, and give you a facelift. Desired body features include an hourglass figure for women: a small waist with a larger chest and hips. For men, a six-pack and tall height are usually the promoted standards. CelebFace posts mainly original photos next to the photoshopped photo that someone posts. Scrolling through this account will certainly cause you a few gasps; partially due to how unidentifiable photoshop can be until you see the original photo, and partially due to how often people use it. One post even exposed a social media influencer for photoshopping a picture of her young daughter to enhance her body. At some point, it does cross a line.
When powerful Instagram accounts promote the use of weight loss supplements, hair care gummies, and other potentially dangerous methods to young people who have the hope of looking like them, it’s simply false advertising. They fail to understand that these well-known people have resources available to them that are not available to others: personal chefs, personal trainers, dietitians, skin-care specialists and plastic surgeons. Even then, celebrities and influencers use Facetune and photoshop to promote an unrealistic standard of beauty.
It is hard to find the line between what is acceptable and what is not. I, personally, am conflicted about the matter. I believe people should have the right to do what makes them feel best, however I also recognize the dangers of social media as a whole and the images it promotes. Research on the subject has indicated that social media use is correlated with body image issues. There is clearly something going on, and recognizing it is the first step in finding ways to change it.