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Katelyn R. Cress

Professor Dunham

English 1201

14 April 2019

Risks of Living in a Social Media Dependent World: Negative Body Image and Mental

Health

Lately, I have become progressively aware of how often I compare my weight

and appearance against other women on Instagram. I have caught myself scrutinizing

my waist, thighs and silhouette against that of models and other women on Instagram.

Young women often broadcast their most appealing self on social media by posting the

most attractive photos taken from complementary angles, thus making social

comparison flawed and erroneous. Moreover, Photoshopped images on social media

sites such as Instagram cause young women to form misconceptions about their own

figures and bodily proportions: this encourages young girls to try and emulate distorted,

unachievable body types publicized on Instagram. Consequently, when young women

are incapable of meeting unattainable body expectations, their self-worth is then

questioned. I have spent hours in front of the mirror, critiquing my own physical

appearance: I am mindful of how damaging social comparison can be in relation to body

image. As a result, the relationship between social media and negative body image is

personally significant as well as culturally influential.

Social media platforms, particularly Instagram, have the potential to incite and

enhance harmful comparisons, an unhealthy infatuation with “likes,” and unattainable

expectations regarding body image. Social media use can promote negative body
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image and exacerbate mental disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, anxiety and

other specified eating disorders.

I maintain that mental disorders in relation to body image are disregarded in a

society focused extensively on networking, school, work, and managing social

relationships. Thus, it is vital we identify toxic expectations and norms detrimental to

body appearance and self-image. I want to avoid writing about my topic from a strictly

emotional perspective; furthermore, I want to acknowledge other perspectives

throughout my paper. The topic of mental health should be thoroughly researched: I

want to portray accurate information on the mental disorders being considered. Most of

my knowledge on the topic comes from my own experience with mental health and body

image. The articles I have browsed on social media’s impact on mental health and body

image have been insightful and will contribute to my paper. I have friends who have

shared experiences pertaining to social media and negative body image. Moreover, I

have seen experiences articulated on social networking sites, such as Twitter, regarding

social media and negative body image. My goal is to find relevant support

complimentary of my own individual experience. I want to explore studies on the

correlation between social media use and an increase in levels of anxiety and body

dissatisfaction. Moreover, I want to delve into another concerning question: why have

we as a society developed an infatuation with overly curated lifestyles, both of which are

neither obtainable or realistic? I have browsed a sufficient number of articles which have

included personal experiences shared by individuals recounting their experience with

social media and how platforms such as Instagram have impacted their body image:

these testimonies will be beneficial to my paper.

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My most prominent questions are: What is the relationship between social media

use and negative body image? Does social media use promote unattainable body

expectations? As a result, how does do these beauty standards impact mental disorders

such as body dysmorphic disorder and other eating disorders? Moreover, I want to

explore the false sense of authenticity image-based social media sites such as

Instagram portray.