The highs and lows of being online

Photograph by mikoto.raw at Pexels

Husna Gofur examines young women’s complex relationship to social media

We often underestimate the power of the media.

It can impact our decisions, our opinions and our lifestyles. Its prevalence is evident in matters ranging from our political views to deciding which fashion trend to follow this season.

The media has a huge influence over young women in particular, but whether this influence is positive or negative is often debated. Social media can capitalise on our insecurities, especially apps like TikTok and Instagram which are more popular among teenagers and young adults.

With a plethora of filters and editing tools that make influencers look flawless, these apps infamously lead young, impressionable girls to strive to emulate these unrealistic and unattainable beauty standards.

These filters can create a whole new set of insecurities by altering features like making your nose appear smaller or your face slimmer. Seemingly harmless TikTok trends also contribute, judging the ‘positive or negative canthal tilt’ of your eyes or whether you are ‘deer pretty’ or ‘cat pretty’.

It sounds ludicrous when said aloud but a 2020 study by Common Sense Media showed that on average teenagers spend 7 ½ hours a day on their screens. Constant exposure to these trends, that judge our appearances for hours on end, certainly has a detrimental effect on how we assess and determine our value.

Women are pressured to conform to inconsistent beauty standards, despite beauty’s subjectivity

Due to social media, it’s so easy for us to base our worth on trivial things such as ‘likes’, ‘follows’ and ‘shares’, highlighting the harmful effect that social media can have on young women’s self-esteem.

Beauty standards fluctuate so drastically over time and across the world, making them impossible to keep up with. In the early 2000s, tabloids were pushing for a slender body type influenced by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Adriana Lima. By the 2010s a curvier body type was portrayed as glamorous due to Kim Kardashian’s rise to fame.

Now, in the 2020s, the media has reversed back to promoting a slim body frame, with an epidemic of celebrities using weight-loss drug ozempic and undergoing buccal fat removal.

With these inconsistent beauty standards, not only is there an immense pressure on women, but it shows how beauty is genuinely subjective. Something considered unattractive during a certain era or in another region may be considered beautiful elsewhere.

I’ve seen this disparity first hand as a Singaporean-Bengali-Chinese girl. When I visit my home country, I notice skin-whitening products advertised everywhere. In South Asian, East Asian and South-East Asian cultures, the beauty standard is to be fair-skinned or, as they notoriously market it, ‘fair and lovely’.

While media often negatively impacts young women, it also offers advantages

In contrast, many people in Western societies often strive to obtain beauty by tanning and trying to achieve a darker complexion. This just goes to show how people always want what they don’t have and how media and society heavily influence our perceptions of beauty.

Although there are plentiful examples of how the media has had a negative impact on young women, it has also had its advantages. Social media reaches a widespread audience allowing it to raise awareness for causes that benefit women, such as the #MeToo movement.

Additionally, it offers educational content on topics like female health, that we may not have access to in real life or may be uncomfortable discussing due to societal taboos.

Media, specifically social media, does have an effect on both men and women. But it seems to have a greater impact on young women, as it heavily scrutinises girls’ appearances, which can be incredibly harmful to our self esteem and mental health.

Social media brings together supportive communities where women can share their stories and lift each other up but it’s important for us to stay aware of how we interact with it. Let’s try to make these platforms a place for support and inspiration, while keeping an eye on the potential downsides so we can enjoy their benefits without the dangerous drawbacks.