Health Education – Grade 11

Theme: Sexual and Reproductive Health

Issue: Understanding the impact of media on perception of body image and
sexuality

How Does Social Media Affect Body Image?

Social media can have a significant impact on body image, both positive and
negative.

On one hand, social media can provide a platform for body positivity,
community support, and health and fitness inspiration. But it can also contribute to
unrealistic beauty standards and unhealthy comparisons.

Understanding how certain content can affect your relationship with your
body may help you decide which profiles and platforms best support your well-being.

Negative effects of social media on body image

Unrealistic beauty standards

Social media platforms often feature images of people with seemingly

perfect faces and bodies, often using filters and photo editing tools to
enhance their appearance. This can create unrealistic beauty standards,
leading to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem in both women and
men.

In fact, social media filters have led to a condition known as “snapchat

dysphoria,” in which people become desperate to look like the filtered
version of themselves. The authors of a 2018 research paperTrusted
Source state that several plastic surgeons have shared that they’ve
encountered people requesting to look like a “filtered” Snapchat picture.

Comparison and competition

Social media can create a toxic culture of comparison and competition,
where individuals compare their bodies to others and strive to meet the
same beauty standards.

Many people tend to post only their best photos, which may not be
representative of their everyday appearance. For both men and women,
this can contribute to negative body image and even lead to mental health
issues, such as depression and anxiety.

Cyberbullying

Social media can be a breeding ground for cyberbullying where people are
attacked for their body size, shape, or appearance. This can have a
damaging effect on body image and self-esteem.

A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that 59% of U.S. teens have
personally experienced cyberbullying. This includes offensive name calling
and the spreading of false rumors, among other types of bullying.

Worsening of body-image disorders

Social media can make just about anyone feel like they don’t measure up,
but it’s even more detrimental for people with eating or body-image
disorders, such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). According to
the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), this is a serious condition
affecting about one in 50 people in the United States.

People living with BDD are typically preoccupied with at least one
nonexistent or slight defect in their physical appearance, and experience
repetitive and compulsive behaviors around their appearance, such as
mirror checking and reassurance seeking. These symptoms can be
excessively worsened by social media.
Research shows that sexual minority men experience elevated rates of
psychiatric disorders for which body dissatisfaction is a central component,
including eating disorder and BDD.

A surveyTrusted Source of 2,733 sexual minority men found a pattern of

associations between:

 social media use and body dissatisfaction

 eating disorder symptoms
 thoughts about using anabolic steroids

Positive effects of social media on body image

Body positivity

When social media is used in a healthy way, it can be a platform for

promoting body positivity, where people share images of their bodies as
they are, promoting self-love and acceptance.

Body-positive content often portrays non-enhanced, non-sexualized images

of people with diverse bodies. These images feature various body shapes
and sizes, races, physical abilities, and gender identities.

In a 2021 study, researchers looked at whether body-positive social media

can lead to improvements in body image.

The experiment involved 233 female-identifying participants who were

randomly assigned to one of the following groups:

 The body-positive group: This group viewed a number of Instagram

images reflecting the body-positive movement.
  The body-positive group with captions. This group viewed the
same Instagram images, but with accompanying captions and
hashtags.
 The control group. This group viewed a series of Instagram images
containing only cityscapes, without people and without captions.

Based on the findings, participants who observed body-positive social

media—either with or without captions—experienced improvements in body
satisfaction. These effects were slightly stronger for the images with
captions, suggesting that words and phrases reinforcing these ideals may
intensify the positive impact.

Health and fitness inspiration

Social media can provide inspiration for leading a healthy and active
lifestyle. There are numerous accounts promoting healthy living, exercise,
and nutritious food choices to encourage people to take care of their
bodies.

Community and support

Social media can host supportive communities for people working through
body image disorders. Support groups and online communities can provide
empathy, understanding, and encouragement to help people in their
journey toward body positivity.

4 ways to cope with body dissatisfaction

If you’re experiencing body dissatisfaction, here are some tips that may
help you cope with these feelings:

1. Focus on your strengths. Rather than focusing on your perceived

flaws, focus on your strengths and what you like about yourself. This
 can help shift your focus away from negative thoughts and improve
your overall self-esteem.
2. Practice self-care. Taking care of yourself can help improve your
mood and help you feel better about your body. This can include
engaging in regular physical activity, getting enough sleep, and
eating a healthy diet.
3. Challenge negative thoughts. Try to identify and challenge
negative thoughts and beliefs that you have about your body. Ask
yourself if these thoughts are realistic or if there’s evidence to support
them. You can also try to reframe negative thoughts into more
positive ones.
4. Surround yourself with positive influences. Surround yourself with
people who support and uplift you. Avoid people or social media
accounts that make you feel bad about your body.

Reference:
Pedersen, T. (2023, February 27). How Does Social Media Affect Body Image? Psych
Central. https://psychcentral.com/health/how-the-media-affects-body-image

Reflection / Output

Individual output! (short essay)

 How do you think media influences your perceptions of body

image and sexuality?

 Do you think the portrayal of body image and sexuality in media

accurately reflects real – life diversity? Why or why not?

Group output!
Create an illustration of media content that exemplifies positive
and constructive messages about body image and sexuality.