Many people have the tendency to look at social media and compare the lowlights of their situation to the highlights of others, because of this, many teenagers constantly reflect negatively on their own lives and bodies.
In today’s society, many adolescents strive to fit the current beauty standard, which is an extremely skinny build. This causes young teenage girls not only to edit their photos, but to reach for unattainable lifestyles so they can obtain the ‘perfect’ body.
Social media can expose users to hundreds or even thousands of images every day, including celebrities and models, which we know leads to an internalization of beauty ideals that are unattainable for almost everyone, resulting in dissatisfaction with one’s own body, according to The American Psychological Association.
Along with over-exercise and the consumption of extremely low quantities of food, another tendency of these fashion and fitness models is to heavily edit and photoshop their photos which makes them appear very unrealistic to the point where it isn’t even human like. This affects the way adolescents feel about themselves enormously.
¨I feel like its just important for people who are influencers on social media to make sure that they post themselves unedited and they make sure that their content is real instead of editing the crap out of all their images, and just making sure that they stay true to themselves,¨ Kyla Anderson ´26 said.
Some ways that people can improve their confidence in their body and maintain a good self-image is to only follow body positive accounts on social media, and to practice daily affirmations and positive self talk.
“I’ve been really working on having a positive mindset throughout everything, and I definitely think this is something that other people should try to do too, because I´ve noticed a difference in how it has helped me a lot,¨ Madeline Trimmer ´27 said.
A helpful way to boost your confidence would be to wake up every morning and say kind words to yourself such as ‘today’s going to be a good day’, ‘I love myself’, and ‘I am proud of myself’ instead of negative ones. It will make the day better and it boosts people’s confidence levels enormously.
¨Every day before I leave for school I always look in the mirror, and then I say a daily affirmation in my head or something I want to accomplish that day,¨ Anderson said.
Another way to build up your self image is to eat healthy, be productive, get out of the house, exercise, and not stay in bed all day. Exercise and maintain good health because you love yourself and want to feel your best, not to fit the ‘ideal’ body type.
¨Focusing on physical activity and healthy eating for their benefits in terms of social connection and overall psychological well being, rather than as a route to building muscle or losing weight, may also be a good approach to building up teens body image,¨ according to The Mental Health Foundation.
Remember Bears, people always succeed when they are the best possible versions of themselves, so don’t try to be exactly like those influencers on social media. Everyone is unique in their own way, so do what’s best for you.
