The Negative Effects of Social Media on Women
By Crystal Hecht
Women spend a great amount of time on social media and compare themselves to other women. This is causing many of those women to change their posts to provide an image that doesn't necessarily portray who they really are. Women are much more body image-conscious than men. We use social media to share our lives, relationships, ideas, and thoughts to stay connected to one another, but we also let social media define how we look and think about ourselves. Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram are examples of big social media programs that are very popular today.
Social media can hurt women’s self-esteem. Many women struggle with body image because they compare themselves to others on social media. Negative comments about body appearance online impact how we view ourselves. I used to compare myself to others on social media, and it began to affect my mental health. Negative comments deterred me from posting. Struggling with confidence in body image can lead to many health concerns like depression, stress, eating disorders, and low self-esteem.
People notice their flaws and try to hide or change them. Before posting pictures to the public, many women feel the need to edit their photos by reshaping their bodies or looks because social media expects a "model-like" body and attractive facial features. Women often use filters on Snapchat before taking a selfie to change how they look and to feel more attractive. What’s your favorite Snapchat filter? Perhaps the one that puts makeup and long eyelashes on your face or covers blemishes and acne? I feel like I use these filters all the time in my pictures and videos. In a new study, 90% of young women reported using filters or editing their photos to appear as if they had whiter teeth, weighed less, had a different nose, or had other physical changes.
The one thing I use every day is TikTok. As of April, the app had been downloaded 2 billion times. TikTok is used by people wanting to express themselves by making videos. Users of TikTok explain how it has been causing mental and physical health concerns in women. TikTok content is full of negative views about body image. Comments and videos about “fat talk” and enhanced physical features seem to be trending a lot. Many famous people like pop stars, actors, and models use several forms of social media and frequently post content and videos that receive a lot of attention. This attention can influence the way we see ourselves. Everyone likes attention, including women. Many famous stars turn to plastic surgery and many other beauty procedures to improve or enhance their body image. These behaviors have made plastic surgery trending in young women.
The most popular procedures done in 2022 are Liposuction, Breast Augmentation, Lip Fillers, and Brazilian butt lifts. According to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Americans spent more than $16.5 billion on cosmetic plastic surgery in 2018. This has widely become more common in women.
A very popular trend on Instagram is editing pictures before posting them to appear slimmer, have more curves, and alter anything they feel insecure about. A study was conducted at Florida State University by a psychology doctoral student and professor. The participants included 2,475 undergraduate students. They concluded that 1 in 3 women say they edit images to change their weight or body shape before posting them. These behaviors can lead to low self-esteem in both women and teens. I can say ever since I have been limiting my time on social media, I feel less stressed and overwhelmed. I avoid looking at the comments on my social accounts and surround myself with more positive people.
It’s important and healthy to love yourself and be confident in your skin don’t let social impact your self-love. To avoid the negative effects of social media, some helpful tips are limiting your social media usage, turning off notifications on social media platforms, finding other activities that you enjoy doing, join support groups if needed. Women should surround themselves with positive and supportive groups of friends and family.
References
Abrams, Z. (n.d.-b). How can we minimize Instagram’s harmful effects? https://www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/03/feature-minimize-instagram-effects
Fielding, S. (2021, March 15). 90% of Women Report Using a Filter on Their Photos. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/90-of-women-report-using-a-filter-on-their-photos-5116048
Is TikTok spying on you? Chinese-owned app under renewed scrutiny. (2020b, July 19). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/it-s-not-worth-it-young-women-how-tiktok-has-n1234193
Kecmanovic, J. (n.d.). 6 ways to protect your mental health from social media’s dangers. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/6-ways-to-protect-your-mental-health-from-social-medias-dangers-117651
Stephens, K. (2022, March 30). 2022 trends in plastic surgery. Plastic Surgery Practice. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://plasticsurgerypractice.com/treatment-solutions/innovations/industry-trends/2022-trends-plastic-surgery/.
Tiggemann, M., & Anderberg, I. (2020). Social media is not real: The effect of ‘Instagram vs reality’ images on women’s social comparison and body image. New Media & Society, 22(12), 2183–2199. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819888720