Beauty Standards Are Unhealthy.

Self image is something I have seen many people deal with, regardless of their age or gender. To help combat these issues, I have recently been carrying out research on how social media mediums work, with online standards and essentially how phones and social media are used as an emotional and “algorithmic behaviour modification tool” targeting pretty much anyone who utilizes a smartphone and any social media platforms. (4) Self-image problems arise as a result of what we consume from social media as well as how we perceive what we see. It differs from person to person, as others can have thick skin and are unconcerned with what is going on and being portrayed online, while others, such as many young adolescents and adults, are vulnerable and easily influenced. Half of what we now perceive as visible body flaws are something we did not even notice were a concern before they were introduced as concerns and things that need to be changed as they were not good enough according to the toxic, ever-changing beauty standard that has been normalised online as to be real life, even though whatever is shown online is edited and not the entire story. 2 Coming across certain influencers online who are paid to edit, morph and post their bodies, faces and lifestyle in order to advertise a product or themselves as brand is extremely toxic to individuals of all ages, genders and races, as vulnerability sadly does not have an age group, and people wrongly assume that a certain appearance is attainable without cosmetic surgery, which triggers insecurities towards their bodies, which then gradually starts taking a toll on their mental and emotional state as feelings of disconnected, seeking validation, anxiety, body dysmorphia, vulnerability, isolation, and assuming their self-worth is reliant on their public appearance begin to creep in. 12 1

Issues of skin lighting and or tanning were introduced in Asia, Africa, Europe and America and as people with a darker skin tone desired a lighter skin tone as they were seen as low-class and there was a fear of not being considered attractive in terms of marriage, in-person society, job opportunities and socioeconomic status, which is combined of education, job role and how much you earn, overall you had to have a fairer complexion to be seen as good enough and the same thinking is still around in today’s day and age. Whiting products are being sold and heavily promoted online via social media posts and advertisements and on websites, and these products are dangerous as they contain the harms of possible organ damage, blood thinning, skin bruising and infections. (8. Hall, 2021) Back in 1920, when the industrial revolution was popularised, labourers had moved into factories to work and then became paler, so being tanned became a symbol of status, as only the wealthy could afford to take vacations and spend some time outside to change their colour of skin. 9,10 As time has passed, this out-of-date concept has been driven by people like Molly Mae Hauge, an online influencer who owns her own tanning company, which enhances and sells tanning products, but even if one doesn't tan, their photos will be edited to appear as if they have tanned, (as demonstrated in one of her YouTube videos), just to look perfect in the eyes of yet another "beauty standard,".

Weight loss supplements such as sweat belts, shakes, pills, and meal replacement snacks are being promoted on social media by influencers, celebrities and anyone with a large number of followers, which can lead to serious health conditions such as addictions, eating disorders like anorexia, as a results of seeing little to no effects. 12. The Kardashians, for example, have been involved in recent lawsuits and controversies for promoting and posting ineffective weight-loss supplements, which they claim is how they achieve their fake, slender, plastic hourglass figure, despite having cosmetic surgeons, dieticians, and fitness trainers on hand. 1. Furthermore, seeing these supplements alongside skinny models often as the norm on social media, rather than seeing plus size bodies, stretch marks, or even everyday average sized bodies, leads one to believe there is something wrong with them, since social media seems to have a smaller diversity range when it comes to different body types. As well as the "high" number on the scale, which can't always be prevented since some people may have medical conditions that cause them to gain weight, or they are often unable to move, which adds value to their weight, or they simply haven't been instructed on how to have healthy eating habits and a healthy active lifestyle that benefits only them, not so they can feel accepted by others or fit into a beauty standard box as the wrong mindset to lose weight can lead down a very toxic and obsessive path 1.

While everyone is encouraging losing weight on social media, thin people are desperate to gain weight and have to struggle with diets and workouts as well as big people, that don't always go as planned. People who are slim are often judged by their peers, families, and then by themselves. They are often teased, told they look like a bag of bones and that they should consume more to get "meat on their bones"; they are often asked whether they are anorexic; many feel sorry for them because they assume they don't eat sufficiently, triggering insecurities and mental health issues such as issues with self-image, self-confidence, self-esteem, and maybe anorexia, bulimia. There are high metabolism skinny, low nutrition skinny, genetically slim skinny, and slim people fearful of gaining weight, becoming obese, and then to be classified as "too fat." Thinner girls, in my observation, are often envious of their thicker female peers, thinking that having more weight on the body attracts the attention of men or that thicker girls have a better life in general, which makes them feel more insecure and think "why are they that size?" and "why can't they get thicker?" This insecure mindset eventually develops as a toxic, negative attitude towards her peers. 15,16 There are also weight gain supplements available for slim individuals. A harmful weight-gain supplement recognized as Apetamin was recently advertised online through social media platforms and due to the harmful components in it that impact hormones, appetite, and organs, including the portion of the brain that governs our appetite and food ingestion, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has not authorised this supplement as a healthy product. As a result, marketing it is illegal, although most social media outlets have since stopped doing so, while Instagram and smaller, less well-known websites have not. However, since this supplement is so widespread, imitation versions have been produced, making it difficult to determine whether they are authentic or not. Despite the fact that many people are against it for obvious reasons, it is still being marketed on social media sites to obtain the desired thick figure. 17,11,14,

Due to the impact of edited and unrealistic images shared on social media, the rate of cosmetic and plastic procedures have been increasing, whether it's obtaining a nose job, cheek filler, defined jaw, or simply getting fat removed, which are the most popular surgeries performed. This is the consequence of desiring unattainable facial or body features which have already been morphed to suit other beauty standards, contributing to insecurities, anxiety, self-issues, self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-image issues, all of which lead to an unstable mental and physical lifestyle.

Back in the day, cosmetic surgery was mostly used to correct birth defects in the face, as well as for medical and social benefits. But, as beauty standards rose, so has the number of surgical procedures to enhance certain features of the face and body as they were perceived as unattractive and, apparently, had to be modified and considered as flaws merely because they did not fit into a standard of the online world. Invasive plastic surgery includes tummy tucks, breast implants, liposuction, and eyelid surgery, is one method of cosmetic surgery. Meanwhile, non-invasive cosmetic surgeries include Botox, fillers, laser treatment, spray tans & tanning beds, teeth whitening, anti-aging services, waxing, and facial chemical peels. In most cases, plastic or cosmetic surgery is unnecessary, but it is performed to maintain vanity so that one can feel and look attractive according to the beauty standard that is heavily glorified online. Kylie Jenner, who had her lips surgically enhanced, started the trend of having big lips several years ago. Since then, almost the whole world had gone insane, and a Kylie Jenner lip challenge had been initiated, involving youngsters using bottles and shot glasses as suction to achieve such enhanced lips, which resulted in excessive swelling and severe pain in the lips. People frequently use the example of Kylie Jenner having her lips done at a young age to justify themselves having fillers and botox and implying that they didn't feel guilty or that it was affecting them because an influencer, wealthy person, or a celebrity on the Internet had done the same.

Many people don't realize that these celebrities or influencers use their power to influence toxic beauty standards. For example, brands will offer a product to a paid influencer in exchange for the influencer to advertise their product and bring the company additional exposure via their social media platforms. The aim is to persuade someone that this product has improved their appearance, making them feel more accepted within society, rather than making people feel more comfortable in their own skin, rather than attempting to change it to match a constantly changing beauty, cultural norm. Overall, such body patterns come and go, but they never last, so anyone who follows them or seeks acceptance from others will never be happy with their looks because fashion and beauty standards alter. The implications of having cosmetic surgery for validation of what is socially acceptable is that these changes are often irreversible, which can be harmful mentally and physically. Many people become reliant or addicted to cosmetic surgery with the excuse of experimentation and over time, the skin that has been surgically transformed can deteriorate badly. People's reasons for wanting cosmetic surgery are becoming so ludicrous that they've gone as far as desiring to look like Snapchat filters to feel more confident in themselves. Editing pictures and videos has become so extremely common that people would no longer appear real; everything has been edited, photo shopped, and airbrushed to the point that a mark on the hand could be edited off because it doesn't look good. There are people from all over the world who have literally reconstructed their bodies, for example, extracting ribs and undergoing various surgeries for over $1 million, but they are still dissatisfied, despite the fact that their end goal was to look like Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, or a Barbie Ken doll. Since the pandemic began, Botox drive-throughs have been set up in some parts of America, which means someone drives to a health clinic and a professional will inject Botox through the car window, which is absolutely ridiculous and dangerous. Zoom dysphoria is another contribution to the rise of cosmetic surgery. People are becoming more self-conscious because they're in front of a camera, even though it has nothing to do with appearances; it's the quality and pixels of the camera in the laptop, as well as the lighting in the area you're in.,1, 18

Many influencers actively encourage an unrealistic lifestyle, whilst portraying a perfect image for marketing purposes on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter to gain engagement and more advertising opportunities, and for some it is a full-time job as this would help influencers to gain more of an audience, earn a profit, initiate online conversations, and learn about their rivals "organically.", but it can be extremely harmful to followers and vulnerable youngsters as they feel subjected to adopt a lifestyle which influences an ever-changing beauty standard in order to feel accepted and appreciated in a society which now values appearance above personality. This could play on young people's mental health negatively and addictively. Since they may develop social anxiety, depression, extreme loneliness, very low self-esteem, and encounter cyberbullying that turns into a prison-like space, where there is always no escape from the world of social media, unless you are “ dramatic" like me and just delete all of your accounts. These changes may have a negative impact on their lives outside of social media, as they may lose friends, fall behind on their education, and become disconnected. 22

Any notification from your phone is a short-term psychological high; each time you receive a like, comment, notification that someone has shared your post, or notification that someone has tagged you in a post, or something of that nature, it is a dopamine shot that can become very addictive, and it makes you feel validated and seen, as well as create a positive and negative image about yourself as the amount of ‘Like’s’ we have or don't have can often be conflicted with the truth and and self-value but what it actually is a fake brittle popularity which leaves us wanting more. I said positive and negative because, for example, if you post a photo and it receives 20,000 likes, you’ll feel validated and accepted but then if another photo receives just 18,000 likes, you will delete the photo with less ‘Likes’ simply because followers don't respond as positively, which can affect your mental health because you start worrying and getting anxious about what your followers think. There is a loss of self-esteem and confidence, as you will become addicted to getting validated online, you will always be anxious as you will be worried about whether or not anyone likes your posts, and you will always be striving for that dopamine boost. “It leads to feeling insecure and loneliness and sadness in the mind just because of a social media app, which becomes a kind of digital pacifier, a maladaptive coping strategy, used whenever we feel lonely, uncomfortable or sad.” Tristan Harris - 3

Cyber bullying or trolling has nothing to do with conforming to a standard of beauty, the way you look, or the way you are; it is just someone behind a screen who is unhappy with their own life, bullying others by sending or posting harassing, humiliating, threatening, and otherwise unkind messages, texts, and videos to a random person, most often a young person who is vulnerable and often unable to stand up for themselves. It's the easiest form of bullying because more than often, it's anonymous and can come in many forms such as harassment, impersonation, trickery, impersonation, denigration, blackmailing, grooming and overall unkind behaviour. It is a very dangerous thing to come across as it can have a serious psychological, physiological and emotional effect on anyone, such as low self-esteem, low confidence, social anxiety, negative thoughts of suicide, vulnerability, self harm and depression. They would often struggle academically and socially as they grew older, feeling depressed and lonely, gaining or losing an unhealthy amount of weight, and finding it difficult to establish healthy relationships with peers, relatives, and others, as well as developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Trolls are everywhere, there is pretty much no escape from them unless you have a thick skin in which case it's really good. A few things you can do to avoid or not have the problem of being cyber bullied is to either block and report the bully or either don't have a social media presence. 19,20,13

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