The impact social media has on body image

*warning long blog post*


*Image from Google images*

Social media, a term that everyone in today's society is pretty much aware of. Social media is fast growing and changing the world of media into a more modern one; which is brilliant of course, but it does have it's negatives. I for one am very up to date with social media and have nearly every platform, so there's no denying I'm not a fan. 

There is one big issue circling around social media at the moment - body shaming! How individuals think it's perfectly okay to shame other people is beyond me. The first time I saw an example of body shaming was on a celebrities Instagram page. The hurtful comments were appalling; just because they are famous does not mean they deserve such hate, they have feelings too!  I think it is totally wrong for an individual to be targeted for looking different and not living up to the world's expectations. We as humans are all different, what you don't like doesn't mean others think the same. If we all thought, dressed, and looked the same well, the world would be a very boring place!

Social media is a big thing and I think more positivity should be spread upon the body image topic; especially for young impressionable boys and girls. We are constantly looking up to edited unrealistic images for body image goals - nobody really looks like that, not even the model! Most people will own up to putting some type of filter on their image; I myself put some form of filter on my images as I wouldn't feel right without it. This is something the media has drilled into our heads, telling us we aren't ‘perfect.'  Is there really such a thing as perfect? no, how can we label one image as 'perfect' when as humans we all come in different shapes and sizes; we're all perfect in our own unique way. 

Growing up a girl in a social media dominant era often gave me many unrealistic expectations of what a woman should look like. I would love to see a campaign showcasing people of all different sizes, shapes etc to show there's no such thing as 'the perfect body.' There's not one size fits all in this world! I also think the media should shed some light on male body image and the impact they face, as often this topic is targeted as a 'woman's problem’, which is absurd - men can become insecure just as much as females.

I think we should all embrace imperfections they are what makes us who we are today. Stretch marks, blemishes, wrinkles, scars - we all have some sign of them, we're human! I think we should all consider laying off the filters and being confident to show our true self. A while back, there was a tag going around for charity where females posted an image of their self with without make-up. I think this is an amazing idea it empowers women and makes them feel confident in their own body without feeling the need to wear make-up to impress society.


So, before you start looking into magazines or forever comparing yourself to an image, think again the chances are the models won't even look like that.  I think it's really sad that somebody could edit a person's image so much they don't even look like them. Be happy for your health and smile; a smile can be the most beautiful thing! Look in the mirror and identify one thing you're happy with and work with that! Tell your friends one feature that is beautiful and vice-a-versa, this can be a massive confidence booster and really make them feel worth it. Don't let unrealistic expectations get in your way of happiness you are your own person; wear whatever you like however you like. If you're happy, then that's the most important thing. So, be happy be confident and most importantly just be you!


Let me know your opinions on this blog post in the comments!
Until next time,
Lauren 
xx

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