Written by: Zeenat Hatami
Edited by: Tiffany Ang
A pressing issue exists within the world of social media, where the younger generation seeks solace amongst like-minded individuals: the idealizing of thin bodies online can increase the risk of eating disorders and affect how adolescents view body perception and self-image. Certain body types, such as an hourglass figure, wide hips, a narrow waist, and broad shoulders, to name a few are often pushed for and romanticized, ultimately creating a beauty standard individuals are pressured to conform to. Although social media platforms advocate for different body types and can spread awareness of the glorification of thin bodies online, a direct association exists between prolonged media exposure and the risk of developing an eating disorder (Dutta, 2022). Social media platforms allow users to choose which content to engage with or upload, and individuals can dictate their identities and choose how they appear to other users. Cultural and societal biases regarding beauty standards are inextricably linked and are perpetuated online (Dane & Bhatia, 2023), which can cause increased body image dissatisfaction and ultimately, the development of an eating disorder.
Social media promotes unhealthy trends, such as intense fitness routines and a lack of caloric intake or starvation, as a lifestyle choice, contributing to the idealization of thinner bodies while concealing subsequent symptoms of eating disorders as dietary advice or lifestyle choices. “Thinspiration” is a prominent digital trend that is related to imagery promoting certain body ideals, such as being extremely thin and fit (Talbot et al., 2017). These trends construct body and beauty standards, especially for women and younger girls. Femininity is a social construct constructed around the aspiration to be thin and desirable, and the effects can be detrimental for young girls who are exposed to these communities on social media. In pursuit of acceptance, users scrutinize and criticize their own appearance as a result of media imagery and social media trends, and develop unrealistic and unattainable standards for their own bodies, making them vulnerable to developing an eating disorder.
In a study conducted by Dane and Bhatia (2023), prolonged social media exposure, especially the use of appearance-focused platforms and photo-sharing apps, creates a pursuit for perfection online, to live up to the body ideals created by media imagery, and is connected to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Social media provides a platform for promoting unhealthy body ideals, such as the thinspiration trend. Studies found statistical significance between social media use and eating disorder symptoms such as skipping meals, purging, and extreme dieting.
Despite this concern, social media content is not well-regulated because social media platforms are unrestrictive. Furthermore, younger and younger individuals are joining social media and creating accounts, which pushes the issue of how safe social media can be for younger individuals when promoting unhealthy ideals . Social media literacy is not addressed amongst adolescents, but it should be encouraged. Young individuals should be taught to challenge societal body standards that are presented online, to appreciate body diversity and to foster a healthy body image, and to approach social media with the mindset that not everything on social media is accurate nor realistic in order to combat the eating disorder pathology that can be transmitted from social media platforms.
References:
Dane, A., & Bhatia, K. (2023). The social media diet: A scoping review to investigate the association between social media, body image and eating disorders amongst young people. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(3), e0001091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001091
Dutta, S. (2022, March 28). Eating Disorders and Social Media. News-Medical.net. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Eating-Disorders-and-Social-Media.aspx
Talbot, C. V., Gavin, J., van Steen, T., & Morey, Y. (2017). A content analysis of thinspiration, fitspiration, and bonespiration imagery on social media. Journal of Eating Disorders, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-017-0170-2
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