Social media has increasingly gained popularity in the last decade after its introduction with various types of social networks. Social media has created an opportunity for people to share information both in written content and posting pictures on different platforms. For example, Instagram and Facebook have been the most used social media platforms where people share images thushaving a significant influence in the lives of women fueled by gender roles and expectations that men have on women. The effects of social media depend on the various ways and reasons in which women use social media. Social media has been seen as an essential aspect that as influenced by dressing codes, eating habits, and body dissatisfaction among women. My research question is on how social media affect women. On this paper, I argue that social media leads to women body image desertification and affects eating disorders for women thus affecting how women see themselves. In this paper, I will first focus on evaluating the various forms of social media platforms, then the reasons as to why women use social media platforms and finally discuss the effects that such uses affect body image and eating habits among women.
Technological advancement has resulted in the creation of several media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and youtube bloggers. Instagram and Face book creates an opportunity for people to share images that show their body images to both friends and strangers. People respond to such images by either commenting or liking the photos (Alperstein, 2015). The comments received have both positive and negative impacts and many women tend to make decisions based on comments from social media users. In situations where the comments criticize the image that individual posts, it is evident that the victim will have to seek alternative approaches for reshaping the body to become more attractive. The effects are fueled by the public’s perception of the role of women in society. In community, people see women as sexual objects and men tend to judge the body shape based on the images they post on social media. As a result, women and young girls try to adopt all mechanisms capable of making their bodies interesting to men in society. As a result, social media has provided an opportunity for women to post their images thus receiving comments on the mechanisms they need to apply in making their body attractive.
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People use social media platforms with an objective of measuring how important they fit into the world based on their abilities. Social media provides information related to the respondents they get based on images they post on social media. As a result, they change their behavior to improve images in the eyes of the public. The role of women in society as sexual objects indicates that women post images on social media with an objective of receiving love and sharing their beauty. In most cases, women and young girls post images with an objective of sharing their beauty to many people thus receiving love from potential people. A woman who posts an image and keeps on updating the photos on social media especially on Instagram or Facebook usually seek to draw the attention of many people in the social media thus reviewing the attractiveness of her body through the comments on the internet. For instance, Instagram is designed purposely for people to share images of their body’s to strangers across the globe (Fardouly & Vartanian, 2015). There is no other reason as to why people could share their images on such platforms rather than the feeling and notion that they are not in love. Beauty has become the interest of many women as they tend to post photos they think will draw the attention of many people in society. The reactions they get leads to unexpected reactions which lead to the development of body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders.
Social media provides an opportunity for collaboration approach where people post and share ideas. As a result, social media provides an avenue through various attitudes, values, and ideas are communicated across age mates. For example, information related to body images, sex attractiveness, ideal body shapes, and weight management prevail. The information presented in the social media platforms affects the kind of life that women live especially considering the effects of different eating habits and exercises in an attempt of representing the ideal images for pictures shared in social media (Ferguson, 2013). The increased technology especially that related to the use of social media has contributed to the formation of ideal images for women shared in social media. The increased concern for women to have their body represent those of ideal women determines the kind of a meal taken by an individual. For example, women and young girls have demonstrated body dissatisfaction because of the use of social media by avoiding the use of foods rich in starch and increased body exercise among women.
Body dissatisfaction also reveals in situations where women post images and delete in circumstances where they fail to reach the expected comments. This action compels the majority of women to engage in watching fit inspirational programs thus contributing to unhealthy eating habits. Social media platforms such as Instagram provide an opportunity for people to view fit inspiration programs (Gajanan, 2015). The mere presentation of images of women in fit inspiration programs reveals that women compare their images and those of such images which may lead to the changing eating habits for women. The effects are revealed through declined self-esteem and mood about one’s image. These effects are seen where people are perceived to eat and engage in exercise objectifying a particular body image that was seen on the media platform. The struggle for such services is designed with an objective of ensuring that the victim meets the expected body figure by the majority of people in the public. In situations where people fail to meet the expected needs, there will be declined comments and likes from friends on social media.
Women and young girls exposed to social media platforms tend to change their idealized perception on body images. For instance, in situations where girls have had exposure to social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have changed their perception of the best body image that attracts the interests for the majority of people. For instance, women are increasingly becoming interested in thinness as the most preferable body image for women as opposed to chubby body images (Ferguson, 2013). As a result, they end up pursuing mechanisms that would result in the development of thin bodies. The effectiveness of social media on body images occurs in situations where there is a comparison between the body interests for people who have been using social media and those who have a neutral perception on the use of social media. This information indicates that social media provides an opportunity for users to share which has a significant influence on the lives of women. Body dissatisfaction occurs in situations where people chubby people develop attitudes designed to reduce their weight and body mass.
Social media practices such as grooming commenting, liking, and visiting also depict self-body dissatisfaction through changes experienced in the body grooming practices practiced by women and young girls (Fardouly & Vartanian, 2015). The comments and likes that an individual receives by posting an image on social media platforms are associated with body image concerns. In situations where an individual receives several comments on a particular image, people have an opportunity for viewing an individual’s profile thus observing the cosmetics and body makeup that the person has been using. The shift in demand for body makeup with reference to that presented in a particular post indicates that women do not like their current state and they would like to improve attractiveness by adapting the use of those particular grooming materials. For example, it is common on social media platforms to find situations where women comment on attractive pictures showing interest in a particular dress or cosmetic.
In situations where women struggle to have their body to represent those of their colleagues and those of ideal image, it may lead to the development of negative mood when their efforts fail to meet the expectations. Social media opens up areas for comparison between women and other women as well as those of ideal images presented in the platforms (de Vries et al., 2015). The focus of women is designed to increase the ability of such people to move towards conformity. In circumstances where women develop negative mood about their images, there is a likelihood that they will develop mental illness. The effects received from social media regarding the perception of their body are transmitted in the interaction of women in their social setting especially in the workplace. In most cases, in their interactions, they usually developed some form of hatred which prevents people from interacting with other people freely. In situations where negative mood persists for a long period, it is evident that women may develop psychological disorders requiring the intervention of psychologists.
In most cases, women say they continuously become less confident about their bodies which indicates that social media depreciates self-esteem for women. As a result, women and young girls admit that they will not be able to post their images on social media unless they find it interesting and unless they see people having a positive feeling about the image (Becker et al., 2011). This dissatisfaction originates from the fact that the changes in the fashion industry and increased technology make it challenging for people to acquire the characteristics shown by ideal images on social media platforms. Though some women may develop an adverse attitude towards their bodies because of their comparison to other images presented in other publications and comparison with other people in the society, negative impacts are severe on people who use social media. Social media inflates these effects by increasing the social network connections and sources for comparison. Most of the images posted in social media platforms provide ideal comparisons because of the increased technology such as Photoshop which increases the possibility for editing such images.
Popularity among the youths makes it potentially influential force among the youths thus causing the adverse effects that they pose to women. Social media avenues such as increased use of Instagram and Facebook have created an opportunity for people especially women in increasing the chances for sharing their body images to receive their body perception from the public. In most cases, women share their images on social media platforms with an objective of measuring their abilities to succeed in the market. As a result, the comments, likes, and visiting that people usually receive on social media determine their reactions. In circumstances where women receive few or no comments for their images, they develop an adverse feeling about their self thus developing body dissatisfaction. They tend to react by changing their eating habits and engaging in body exercises which may have adverse effects on their health because of eating disorders. For example, women develop adverse effects associated with their chubby bodies and they pursue all possible mechanisms to make their bodies represent those of the ideal images presented on social media. In most cases people fail to achieve their expectations, they may develop psychological problems because of feeling unsatisfied as they interact with other people in society.
References
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de Vries, D. A., Peter, J., de Graaf, H., & Nikken, P. (2016). Adolescents’ social network site use, peer appearance-related feedback, and body dissatisfaction: Testing a mediation model. Journal of youth and adolescence , 45 (1), 211-224.
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