Social media is part of every college girl’s life now. It has become a significant aspect of our culture, and can be a fun way to express ourselves within this digital age.
Through platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, we allow ourselves to be exposed to a great deal of media. We see countless pictures and videos every day of people we know really well, people we don’t know at all, and those in between.
On social media, it’s mostly “people, people, people, people,” and as human beings we cannot help but make judgments. But, I’m not talking about judgments made about other people. Social media is incentivizing us to make judgments about ourselves.
For some reason, on my Instagram’s popular page there are always a bunch of pictures of very pretty, tall, and skinny girls. I can’t help thinking about how perfect-looking their bodies are and how average my body is in comparison.
As young women, we are constantly thinking about our body image and how we fit into society. We ask ourselves, “Am I fat, big-boned, regular, skinny, too skinny?” We are the biggest critics when it comes to ourselves, and seeing a constant stream of Instagram models on social media isn’t helping these inner thoughts.
Of course, you will compare yourself to another girl every once in a while, and that’s normal. But this continuous self-judgment cannot be good for us! It makes us start to believe that the way our body looks isn’t good enough.
Are all those fitness pages supposed to make me feel motivated? Because, to me, constantly seeing all those super fit, skinny girls on Instagram makes me want to dive into a tub of ice cream! Those pages try to make us think that is what ‘healthy’ looks like. Whereas, in reality, “healthy” has many different looks and involves many different body types.
Of course, there are the actual supermodels, like the Victoria’s Secret models for example, that show up on our social media feeds. Society has always looked up to models, but before social media it was just through magazines or television. Now we can follow every moment of these women’s lives, as if we know them personally.
A model’s job is to look pretty and work out all day, and we just don’t have time for that. We are studying all day because that is our job right now. Give yourself a pat on the back because you are at UC Davis and getting a higher education. Don’t feel bad that you don’t look similar to them. Most of them likely didn’t even go to college. You’re all smart, strong women and going to have a kickass career once you graduate. So why should we want to look like them? They aren’t like us at all.
I say tell society and social media’s perceptions to shove it!
You don’t need to look like an Instagram model to have a content life and to be comfortable in your own skin. Being aware of how social media affects your own body image is the best way to set yourself free. Just love your body because you are beautiful, and that’s what makes you you!
Cover image source: Pexels