Hi! This blog is all about social media and the pressure to look perfect online. Social media is vastly used, and I will discuss the affects it has on body image, both for girls and boys, men and women. Social media has exploded in the last decade, Facebook holding 1.79 billion users as of September this year. Instagram recently celebrated its 6th birthday, but has reached 500 million users this year!
Everyday, ‘selfies’ are posted online, there are Instagram accounts called ‘flawless community’ and the exposure to half-naked, posed photos is never-ending and almost inescapable. With this continuous flow of unattainable images, people today are increasingly feeling dissatisfied with their own bodies. We need to be aware of the negative outcomes social media can have and the messages it is sending out to everyone that uses it. We need to learn to love ourselves and not compare to these unrealistic photos we see online.
This blog will explore different aspects that social media has affected in relation to body image, to exploit the pressures to look perfect in our modern society but also to try and show that no one is flawless – being yourself is more important than being perfect.