Discussion: Body Image & Social Media

I think the main cause of eating disorders on the rise for both men and women is social
influence for both men and women. Nowadays social media glorifies “thinness” or
muscularity, portraying this as the “perfect body”. Also, the extreme pressure to fit in
with other groups at school, work, or in social media that have this “perfect” body and
life. I think that bullying also contributes to eating disorders, in which a person may want
to prevent getting picked on because of how they look. As well as, movies and t.v.
shows because in order to get the guy or the girl you need to be “skinny” and good
looking and people now become insecure about how they look.
https://www.blogilates.com/what-id-look-like-if-i-had-the-perfect-body-throughout-history
/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I chose to use this blog because it shows how it is that society affects how women view
themselves. Over the course of the years, we have seen this to be repetitive, in wanting
to look like the latest models and have the “perfect” body. However, in reality, your body
had different shapes and as time goes by this “perfect” body is constantly changing. So,
why let this define us and make our own body our perfect body and embrace it.

Tiffany Nguyen

Hi Kenia,

I like what you said about why eating disorders are on the rise. I think you make a good
point about how bullying contributes to the unhealthy obsession to be thin. You are
absolutely correct that a lot of depictions in the media show the fit and beauty
individuals getting love. Because of this along with the rise of social media, people are
feeling more pressure to change their appearance.

I liked your choice of the social media post as well! I chose the same photo because it
really resonated with me when I first saw it. I think it's very interesting how the perfect
body shape changes, and because of that, you see how people try to change to fit in.
It's unhealthy, and people should learn to love their bodies.

Shumin Xiao

Hi Kenia,

I like that your link is about the history of the "perfect" body. The perfect body shape
created by social media is not for everyone. As you said, we all have different body
proportions. We should avoid eating disorders in order to achieve perfect body shape.