Since the start of social media, millions of posts have been uploaded, billion upon billons of pictures have been liked, and zillions of tweets have been retweeted. Memes have been created to explain every feeling we have, Instagram accounts have been gaining an ungodly number of followers, and Facebook just seems to be a place for posting accomplishments - just to one up those girls you used to know in high school. Gone are the days where social media is mainly used for reconnecting with old friends, posting a picture to capture a memory, or searching for some much needed advice. These days, social media seems to be a black hole that only leads to online beef between two complete strangers, creating tricky situations for those wrongly worded tweets, and the worst, body shaming from those who stare at stick skinny models all day.

Too often we are staring at screens that contain a picture or video of a “perfect” girl or the most good looking guy. We are flooded with millions of makeup contour videos that are supposed to depict the way we are supposed to look most the time. We insist on following accounts that contain girls that are borderline unhealthy, leading us to think the way we are is just not enough. Rather than posting a picture out of sheer joy to be sharing it, we are posting a picture just to get a number of likes. And these pictures are depictions of what we are being lead to think is the right “beautiful.” This generation is focusing more on the popularity of a stupid selfie, rather than learning to take care of themselves and be happy with the person they are.

Most of the social media we are presented with on a daily basis includes models of extreme body types, lavish lifestyles, and a large number of celebrities exposing themselves - showing the world their perception of a “perfect” world by millions. These days, social media users have no desire to see someone getting a new job, buying a house, or just a picture from a nice vacation. With eyes stuck on celebrities and their “exciting” lives, much of social media is displaying an unrealistic view of life for everyone.

As a result, more and more teenagers, mostly females, are experiencing difficulty with eating disorders, self-esteem issues, and a realistic idea of what life is really like. A recent survey completed by The New York Times found that 25 percent of women shape have had their concept of beauty shaped by social media. They also discovered that 78 percent of women thought the social media expectations of beauty were unrealistic, yet 82 percent of those women did strongly follow and shape their beauty from social media. So although we know that not every woman is going to be 5’4” and 110 pounds and have the most perfect skin, we insist on looking at social media and those on it for beauty reassurance.

Yes, social media is free and free to use in any way for those who choose to use it. However, it is creating an epidemic that can cause some serious damage to those who live by the made up rules. It is our job to redefine beauty, stop the spread of these unrealistic ideas, and show men and women that they should be proud to be their own person. Rather than choosing to post every detail of our lives for someone else to view, spend some time off social media and become the person you desire, without guidelines or expectations derived from social media.

Source: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/04/03/new-study-shows-impact-of-social-media-on-beauty-standards/