In an era where so many digital advancements are being made, our society is still stuck with the same obsession with meeting beauty standards, something which has been existing for generations. This includes having the perfect body shape, size, and an ideal appearance. With social media being used more than ever, this issue has evolved into something even more concerning—disordered eating behaviours. This issue isn’t something only young adults face, but so many children nowadays suffer from this too.
Defining Body Image
Body image is how we perceive our bodies as—they’re the thoughts and feelings we have about the way we look. Most of our thoughts are influenced by personal factors such as self-esteem and past experiences, as well as social and cultural influences like media messages and family attitudes.
Signs of someone having an eating disorder include them:
The Social Media Effect
One of the most influential factors playing a pivotal role in shaping self-perception is social media. Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok mostly promote unhealthy and unrealistic lifestyles, where the portrayal of beauty and fitness is resulting in people feeling insecure about themselves.
Most people are unable to differentiate the reels from the reality, even when it’s very obvious. Due to this reason, a distorted standard of beauty is created, leading people to be more conscious about their appearance.
Moreover, these algorithms promote narrow beauty ideals, making users feel pressured to meet the so-called “beauty standards”.
While research shows that social media offers support for body positivity, it can also promote unhealthy and harmful behaviours like body shaming, leading to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and other eating disorders.
Diet Culture and the “Thin Ideal”
Diet culture is directly at the root of eating disorders. This culture promotes the ideology of being thin and encourages people to celebrate weight loss while disapproving of those who do not conform to this culture.
This culture not only fuels shame in being oversized, but also makes people believe that they need to “fix” their bodies by doing extreme diets and exercise. This often leads to people developing bulimia or binge eating disorders (BED).
The Intersection with Eating Disorders
It’s not always necessary that negative body image leads to an eating disorder, but it is still a powerful risk factor. When a person feels dissatisfied and ashamed of their own body, it often leads to them developing anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
If you happen to notice those around you who are showing early signs of these disorders, it’s important that you step in and encourage them to seek professional help.
Moving Towards a Healthy Body Image
To improve and encourage a positive relationship with your body, consider these steps:
Societal Shifts and Hope for the Future
Although social media platforms sometimes do promote unrealistic and unhealthy lifestyles, just know that there are communities and movements out there on social media such as Health At Every Size (HAES)® and body-positivity campaigns that support and accept people for the way they look, encouraging a healthy and growth mindset, helping people recover from being victims of such standards.
Remember to practice self-compassion, limit exposure to unhelpful media content, and seek support when needed. Treat yourself with care and love, and know that your self-worth is much more than mere unrealistic beauty standards.