Beauty Behind the Masks - Victoria Sordi
Throughout this unit there has been a spike in interest as to how social media has consumed a large portion of our lives. Social media has inadvertently taken over; influencing the way we act, think and look. In surveys shown in class, nearly all social media platforms had at least a 50% response rate which were a yes to using the platform. Instagram itself had 97.5% responses which were a yes, additionally 85% of respondents believe the amount of time they spend on social media is too much. These responses can align with the article “Facebook documents show how toxic Instagram is for teens, Wall Street Journal Reports.” So much of our time is spent on social media that we start to believe what is posted on there is real. This starts to become an issue towards mental health because many young girls believe they need to change their lifestyles to fit the Instagram beauty standard. The same goes for young males. What is not shown on social media, is the editing that is done prior to posting. Celebrities and influencers edit their posts prior to posting however that is not seen, in order to avoid hate. Earlier in the year a photo of Khloe Kardashian was released, and people spotted how she did not edit the photo. Khloe was receiving a lot of hatred, which resulted in her having to speak out about the issue. Similarly, in the film Eighth grade Kayla put on an act for social media. The way Kayla acts on social media is completely different in comparison to real life. Social media is becoming a source for individuals to compare themselves to others with unrealistic beauty standards which impacts individuals’ mental health. The time put into editing posts, glamourizing certain body types or looks is resulting in deteriorating the mental health of many young individuals.
Hey great post! I also agree that social media has become a key aspect of our lives. As you stated, so many celebrities will post on social media but many individuals forget that their posts are highly edited and often don't represent their true selves. This often leads individuals to compare themselves to celebrities and feeling let down that they don't look like that. I think social media has many great aspects however, individuals needs to remember that people often post their best selves online especially celebrities and it is often not a true representation of who they really are.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! While social media can be a fun way to remain up to date with friends and the latest trends, it can also be extremely harmful. Everyone's lives are glorified on social media as photos are careful edited and selected to showcase only the best parts of someones life and physique. Thus, it is no wonder so many social media users find themselves feeling envious and imperfect in comparison to the flawless photos we are constantly surrounded by online.
ReplyDeleteHey, I really enjoyed reading your post. You brought up some very important points. Specifically, the way you describe the contrast between how people behave and look in real life versus their social media presence. You mentioned how in the movie Eight Grade, Kayla appeared to behave differently on social media in her YouTube videos versus how she really felt/behaved outside of that. Kayla tried to come off in a way where people would perceive her as confident, quirky, clever, and knowledgeable. When in reality those were all things that didn't resonate with her at the time, and things that were goals for her to become/something she wishes she already had. Social media can provide a lot of artificial realities in every persons life and it's important to be aware of the fact that not everything we see is the truth.
ReplyDeleteHey, great post. I'm glad you brought up the topic of photo editing. As you mentioned, with social media consuming a lot of people's lives, that means people might try to represent themselves to seem cooler or better looking than they are. With how advanced editing is now I have noticed more and more pictures on Instagram that make people look different than they do in person. Personally, I think this stems from celebrities like you mentioned looking too "perfect" in their pics on social media. Instragmers see this and think they have to do it to avoid hate. What we have to realize and what Kayla in the movie "Eighth grade" realized is that you cannot compare yourself to other people and just be yourself.
ReplyDeleteHey! I really enjoyed reading your post. I definitely agree with the fact that girls try to change their lifestyles in order to fit the beauty standards. It is very unfortunate to see that these girls look up to unrealistic models and influencers who 99% of the time edit their photos in order to look appealing. This causes a lot of struggles with body image and self esteem issues within young girls. On the other hand, men also struggle with this too. They look up to individuals such as body builders and men with muscular figures so boys also develop these self esteem issues. Overall, influencers and models always set high beauty standards which are clearly unattainable.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Social media often showcases influencers who edit their photos constantly and this creates unrealistic beauty standards that young people try to meet. Many young people face a lot of body and self esteem issues due to these unrealistic standards constantly advertised online. Social media allows for these standards to seem attainable and influencers can manipulate viewers into thinking their lifestyle and body is real. This goes to show the power of social media. Your example of how Kayla acts on social media is different in comparison to her real life, represents this power of social media and how people can manipulate audience by putting an act on.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I agree with your point stating that social media has inadvertently taken over through influencing the way users think, act and look. As you mentioned, most celebrities will post extremly editied images of themselves to the public to users who believe it is natural. Meanwhile, most people look up to celebrities and attempt to achieve these unrealistic beauty goals. It is unfortunate that our society have put this pressure to strive for “perfection” or one singular “ideal body type”. The ironic part to this is that every few years the “ideal body type” changes with what celebraties deem are in. For example, Kim Kardashian had butt implants for years, which I would argue modeled women to undergo this dangerous surgery to fit this standard. Recently, she got them removed and is modeling a tiny-toned figure, which is again changing the ideal body type image. Hopefully there will be a shift of influence on social media so users, especially the youth will be taught inclusivity, such as all appreances are beautiful! What do you think celebrities can do to challenge unrealistic beauty standards on their social medias?
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