Social Media's Impact on Beauty Standards
In recent years, there has been an increased trend of women following popular beauty trends irrespective of their personal preferences. While this may seem inclusive, there are many negative aspects to this as well. There is this notion that women must conform to these widespread beauty standards, and this idea is reinforced by social media.
Social media has become part of many women's daily lives, and there is this thought of value being determined by one's audience and presence on social media. Photo-based engagement with social media has been associated with an increase in self-objectification, body dissatisfaction, and pursuit of skinniness [1]. This is largely a result of women unconsciously comparing themselves to their peers or influencers and celebrities that they follow. Thus, social media has increasingly been given the power to validate and evaluate women. Celebrities and influencers typically have the largest presence on various media platforms which include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, among many others.
Social media influencers largely dictate the standards for beauty because of their large followings. Some of the most common features of social media influencers include having full lips, arched eyebrows, cheek contouring, among other cosmetic techniques [2]. While these “social influencer” trends may not fit every woman’s idea of beauty, it has become largely mainstream since generally, people are more inclined to follow the recommendations or practices of famed individuals as a means to fit into society. This effect is known as the “celebrity effect”, which is defined as the ability of popular and famed individuals to influence others. "Celebrities have substantial social networks and people are always interested in the trends and products that celebrities endorse" [3]. Since most women use various social media platforms daily, they are more prone to being influenced by these celebrities since they have a large presence digitally.
As a result of these unrealistic beauty standards being portrayed across various digital platforms, there has been an increase in cosmetic surgery, the use of filters and editing apps, and a lack of confidence in women. These measures are directly a result of beauty standards largely being perpetrated by social media through its most prominent users, which includes Kylie Jenner and other social influencers.
Further Discussion:
[1] Stenberg, Shari J., and Charlotte Hogg. "Karin Hitselberger." In Persuasive Acts: Women's Rhetorics in the Twenty-First Century, 434-38. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020. Accessed October 13, 2020. doi:10.2307/j.ctvwrm691.79.
[2] Brucculieri, Julia. "Instagram Influencers Are All Starting To Look The Same. Here's Why." HuffPost. Last modified March 9, 2018. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/instagram-influencers-beauty_n_5aa13616e4b002df2c6163bc?guccounter=1.
[3] Hashaw. "The Effect of Celebrities in Advertisements." Houston Chronicle. Last Modified March 29, 2019. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/effect-celebrities-advertisements-56821.html