#thin ideal

You’re on Instagram, Facebook or some other social media site and you’re inundated with ‘Kardashian’ inspired images of gorgeous women, then you look at your own profile and realise you have a lot of work to do to keep up, not just on your social media profile but on yourself, wishing you had abs instead of flabs and wondering rhetorically, “Why can’t I look like that?” If this type of thought has ever crossed your mind, then you’ve engaged in an upward appearance comparison and as a result, internalised social media’s expectations of how you ‘should look’ (Feltman & Szymanski, 2017). Unfortunately, this is one of the many types of behaviours which people often subconsciously engage in when using social media which research suggests, may distort one’s self-concept and in turn, their body image.

In 2016, 94% of worldwide internet users had at least one social media account and spent approximately 1.97 hours per day on these sites, of whom, young adults spent the most time (as cited in Feltman & Szymanski, 2017). It is important to identify what drives people to engage in frequent social media use and why it has become engrained in peoples’ daily routines. The concept of one’s identity has been described by research as an ongoing process and exploration of the self, adaptive to the social world (Miller, 2017). A study by Miller (2017) found that queer-identifying individuals with disabilities reported primarily using social networking sites to explore their identity by meeting other individuals online with shared experiences, validating their identities, engaging in a community of social support and raising political awareness of those who identify similarly. These findings suggest that the use of social media sites is deeply embedded in our drive to explore our identities and belong somewhere in the social world.

Furthermore, research by Veldhuis, Alleva, Bij, Keijer, and Konijn (2018) found that young women who appreciated their bodies more (i.e. had a positive body image) were more likely to engage in taking selfies i.e. taking photos of oneself followed by deliberately posting them on social networking sites. Women who had higher tendencies to engage in self-objectification (viewing oneself as an object and making evaluations based on appearance) were also more likely to be highly engaged in taking selfies. In contrast, women with a poorer body image or self-esteem did not engage in taking frequent selfies. This suggests that some women may be using selfie behaviours in an adaptive way, for example by posting photos and receiving positive feedback comments this can reinforce a positive self-image.

While both these studies illustrate the potential for social media to be used to positively support an individuals’ self-concept and identity exploration, it can also have aversive effects, in particular pertaining to body image perception. An experiment involving Australian women aged 17-30 years found that they experienced decreased satisfaction with their body and increased negative mood after exposure to fitness inspired images on social media (Prichard, McLachlan, Lavis, & Tiggemann, 2018). They also found that women who viewed themselves as objects (self-objectification), were more vulnerable to having poorer body satisfaction (Prichard et al., 2018). Perloff (2014) described other individual vulnerability factors in their model for social media and its impact on body image including low self-esteem, depression, thin ideal internalisation, centrality of appearance of self-worth and perfectionism. In light of these individual vulnerabilities, they note that due to the nature of accessibility of social networking sites, there are significantly more opportunities for social comparison and disordered perceptions of how one should look than were available before with conventional media.

Similarly, Feltman and Szymanski (2017) found that the more users engaged with images on Instagram, the more inclined they were to view themselves as objects and monitor their physical looks. This finding was due to internalisation of cultural standards of beauty and comparing oneself to those who have more favourable appearances (upward appearance comparison). Furthermore, a study by Vogel, Rose, Roberts, and Eckles (2014) indicated that both a higher Facebook use and temporary exposure to Facebook profiles which contained upward comparison information (i.e. profile contained engagement in highly healthy behaviours), led to lower self-esteem and poor self-evaluations in both men and women.

Unfortunately, the fusion between social media image exposure and internalisation of how one ‘should’ look can lead to a distorted self-concept and in turn negative body image.

While an internalisation of ‘thin ideals’ has shown to facilitate distorted perceptions of the self, there are ways to mitigate these effects. A study by Snapp, Hensley-choate, and Ryu (2012) evaluated whether protective factors proposed by an earlier model for body image resilience contribute to women’s overall wellness and in turn, self-concept. The study found that the following five factors contributed to a more positive body image; high family support, low levels of perceived sociocultural pressure from family, friends, and media regarding the importance of achieving a thin-and beautiful ideal, rejection of the superwoman ideal, positive physical self-concept and active coping skills. It is suggested that when engaging in social media, women should aim to be aware of these protective factors to help minimise the potential for a distorted self-concept and negative body image.

Building awareness of social media’s influence on individuals’ self-concept has also been utilised as a preventative strategy in pre-adolescent Australian children as young as 8 years (as cited in Williams, & Ricciardelli, 2014). In this literature, girls were aware that make up was used to enhance celebrities’ looks and boys identified that famous sportsmen who endorsed sugar filled sports drinks were not doing so with the aim of promoting healthy drink options. Both examples show how an awareness of social media’s disguised purposes in marketing can be encouraged in children even before it manifests itself during adolescence or early adulthood.

Lastly, research by Feltman and Szymanski (2017) has identified an association between women with stronger feminist beliefs who used Instagram and having lower rates of body-surveillance (monitoring one’s appearance), while women with lower to moderate feminist beliefs who used Instagram engaged in higher levels of body surveillance behaviour. This provides an opportunity to encourage women to engage in stronger feminist beliefs in an attempt to reduce body surveillance behaviours when using Instagram and potentially other social networking sites.

In summary, it appears that we constantly find ourselves engaging in social media, taking selfies, updating our social media profiles to not only connect to the world but to gain a validation of their identity. However, in light of the research discussed, it is important for users of social media to be aware of both the preventative strategies and potential risks associated with internalisation of thin ideals and as a result, a distortion of our self-concept. In describing this toxic manifestation, internationally famous model Kate Moss once stated, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” (as cited in Perloff, 2014, p. 366). The question now is, are you going to allow yourself to internalise such a ‘thin ideal’?

Reference list

Feltman, C. E., & Szymanski, D. M. (2017). Instagram use and self-objectification: The roles of internalization, comparison, appearance commentary, and feminism. Sex Roles, 78(5-6), 311-324. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1007/s11199-017-0796-1

Prichard, I., McLachlan, A. C., Lavis, T., & Tiggemann, M. (2018). The impact of different forms of #fitspiration imagery on body image, mood, and self-objectification among young women. Sex Roles, 78(11-12), 789-798. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1007/s11199-017-0830-3

Snapp, S., Hensley-choate, L., & Ryu, E. (2012). A body image resilience model for first-year college women. Sex Roles, 67(3-4), 211-221. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1007/s11199-012-0163-1

Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social media effects on young women's body image concerns: Theoretical perspectives and an agenda for research. Sex Roles, 71(11-12), 363-377. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1007/s11199-014-0384-6

Williams, R. J., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2014). Social media and body image concerns: Further considerations and broader perspectives. Sex Roles, 71(11-12), 389-392. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1007/s11199-014-0429-x

Veldhuis, J., Alleva, J. M., Bij, d. V., Keijer, M., & Konijn, E. A. (2018). Me, my selfie, and I: The relations between selfie behaviors, body image, self-objectification, and self-esteem in young women. Psychology of Popular Media Culture. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/ppm0000206

Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(4), 206-222. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/ppm0000047

Yes, I know it's not actually about having the ideal body. If it was, girls who get praise wouldn't feel insecure.

And at the same time, I hate how angry I feel towards them when "I have it worse."

San Francisco, CA- A woman's drive to lose weight force come more from her genes than excepting images of slim Hollywood models, a Michigan contemplate suggests.<\p>

Researchers at Michigan State University looking at women's fiber in relation with €thin idealization€ asked more than 300 female twins about their body images. They found that cause fertile as 43% about the complexion unto quixotize thinness was inherited. They also found that experiences such as exercise were more important than communication explosion influences reciprocal inasmuch as pictures of slim Hollywood models.<\p>

€We're all bombarded at all times with messages extolling the virtues concerning being embryonic,€ Jessica Suisman, the study's chairman, told The Sign on. €yet intriguingly only-begotten some women develop what we term small ideal internalization.€<\p>

€We're all bombarded daily with messages extolling the virtues of being insufficient,€ Jessica Suisman, the study's leader, told The Telegraph. €Yet intriguingly only some women develop what we term rarefy ideal internalization.€<\p>

In the discourse, twins were asked with regard to their perception of their body and how respected it is so as to look like women on TV and in movies. The twins' ages classified minus 12 to 22. The researchers determined each woman's €thin idealization€ and then compared sets of alike twins with sets of fraternal twins. Identical twins share all with regard to their genes, again benign twins share only end. Researchers found that the identical twins were more similar an in their tendency until idealize <\p>

Dyadic twins share all of their genes, but sisterly twins share only proportionate. Researchers constitute that the identical twins were more similar advanced their tendency to idealizethinness.<\p>

Environmental factors played a role, but propaedeutic influences were not as world-shaking as the researchers thought, according to the closet, which was open far out the International Journal of Eating Disorders.<\p>

€We were surprised upon find that shared environmental factors, such as exposure to the same media, did not have information about as held in awe an impact as expected,€ Suisman said. €Instead, non-shared factors that make co-twins different out each divergent had the greatest impact.€<\p>

€We were surprised to find that shared environmental factors, said as exposure so as to the same media, did not have as big an bulling as expected,€ Suisman said. €Instead, non-shared factors that make co-twins unequal from each other had the greatest impact.€<\p>

A co-author of the study, professor Kelly Clump, said the goods is puffy to take in genetic and environmental factors when studying €thin-ideal internalization.€<\p>

A co-author of the study, professor Kelly Clump, said it is hegemonistic to include genetic and environmental factors when studying €thin-ideal internalization.€<\p>

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