THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE FORMATION OF BODY IMAGE

A Research Paper

Submitted To

VENREY SENM ECANG

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

In Practical Research 2

Princess G. Maguila

Adrian Dave Tenero

Mica May Fernin

Prince Joseph Formacion

Axchel John Arendon

Joemel Flojemon

January 2024
 ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

The completion of this research wouldn’t be successful without the participation and

assistance of the research members: Princess Maguila, Adrian Dave Tenero, Mica May Fernin,

Prince Joseph Formacion, Axchel John Arendon, and Joemel Flojemon. Their contributions are

sincerely and gratefully acknowledged. Most importantly, the group would like to express their

deepest appreciation particularly:

Mr. Venrey Senm Ecang, PHD-EM, for his endless support and guidance for us to finish

our research.

To our family, friends and others who supported us either morally, financially and

physically, thank you.

Above all, our almighty God the author of knowledge and wisdom, for his guidance

and love.

We thank you!

12 HUMSS ARISTOTLE
GROUP 6 RESEARCHER
 ABSTRACT

This experiment is to discover the impact of social media in the formation of

body image. This experiment was chosen to for the purpose of evaluating if social
media really has an impact especially that the world is technological today. The research
was a continuation of our research in grade 11. The statement of the problem includes;
What are the body image issues that senior high school students encounter? How is
social media affecting the body image of students? How does social media affect the
ways of thinking of the senior high students of EMEMHS about their physical
appearance? Which were supported by the results that states the students of EMEMHS
are slightly affected by social media in how they view themselves. This research has
proven the hypothesis to be true and fulfilled the statement of the problem.
 Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Pages

Background of the Study …………...………………………………………………………….1

Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………………………3

Significance of the Study………………………………………………………………………3

Scope and Delimitation…………………………………………………………….…….…….4

Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………………………….4

Review of Related Literature……………………………………………………………….….5

Conceptual Framework……………………………………………….………………………22

Theoretical Framework………………………………………………….……………………22

Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………24

Ethical Consideration…………………….……………………………………………….….25

Chapter 2

Results and Discussion……………………………………………….………………………26

Chapter 3

Summary and Conclusion……………………………………………….……………………29

Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………29

Chapter 4

Proposed Program…………………………………………………………………………….30

References……………………………………………………………………...……………31

Appendices…………….…………………………………………………………………….32
 Chapter One

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

As the world gets more technological and a lot are more into the online world, there is

no denying that we see a lot of things online that either affects our mental health and reality.

Vloggers and influencers started to surface in the internet, that they dominated most contents

online. With filters also arising, the things we see online started to look perfect that it even

affected our view of ourselves. The researchers have seen and observed the impact of social

media with most students here in EMEMHS, especially that it's really evident on how they

already want to look and on how they style themselves. A lot have now developed insecurities,

self-doubt, depression, anxiety and have lost their self-worth.

During 2019, a bombshell study conducted by the Florida House Experience, a

healthcare institution, uncovered that both women and men compare their bodies with those in

media. The Survey included 1,000 men and women and focused on their body image,

confidence, and the media. In that comparison, a stunning 50% of women. and 37% of men

compare their bodies unfavorably. That even today it is very common to see people do plastic

surgeries just to look like their idols. They pamper their selves with a lot of makeup and drink

pills just to look perfect, that in the end they lose themselves. Even here in Pulupandan, we can

see a lot of people indulge in such beauty products and filter just to please people online and

offline.

Here in the Municipality of Pulupandan, a coastal area located in the south of the island

of Negros Occidental is where the researchers decided to conduct their study. Pulupandan’s

name was derived from the vernacular word “pulo sang pandan” meaning “isle of pandan”,

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because of the wild forests of palms during the early days before it became a seaport.

Pulupandan before was a barrio of Valladolid until 1916 that it officially became an

independent municipality. Specifically, the researchers will conduct their study in Enriqueta

Montilla De Esteban Memorial High School where the researcher also studies. Enriqueta

Montilla De Esteban Memorial High School is a school in the province of Negros Occidental,

VI - Western Visayas, in the municipality of Pulupandan. Enriqueta Montilla De Esteban

Memorial High School was established on January 01, 1970. Before EMEMHS, it was first

called Pulupandan National High School and was located in Veraguth St. Pulupandan Negros

Occidental until a generous family of Montilla’s donated a land which is now where the

EMEMHS stands. The school is a field surrounded by residential houses and farms. It is far

from the center of the town but is accessible to all citizens in it.

With this being said, the researchers will be conducting this study for the purpose of

discovering what things on media affects the students and on what way. The researchers are

interested in the impact of social media in the behavior and mentality of students when it comes

to their body image. For, the media nowadays is not just a place to express but a place to show

off. The researchers want to know it's good and bad impact to the body image of students.

Furthermore, social media is accessible to any year and age which makes it prone to

inappropriate contents which affects us truly.

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Statement of the Problem

The researcher aims to find out the impact of social media in the formation of body

image in senior high school students of EMEMHS. Specifically, this research aims. to answer

the following questions;

1. What are the body image issues that senior high school students encounter?

2. How is social media affecting the body image of students?

3. How does social media affect the ways of thinking of the senior high students of

EMEMHS about their physical appearance?

Hypothesis

Social Media has no impact in the formation of body image.

Significance of the Study

This study is significant to the following:

Senior High School Students - this study aids in the self- assessment of students on why they

may feel certain negative feelings toward themselves as well as other people.

Parents - this study will prove beneficial for parents or guardians in helping their children gain

self-awareness and in knowing their self-worth.

Content Creators - this study can raise awareness to social media influencers and content

creators about the impact they have on the self-image of most teenagers that are avid consumers

of the content that they release.

Teachers - this study can help teachers in dealing with any bad or untoward behavior within

the school that stems from insecurity, poor self-esteem and low self-confidence.

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Scope and Delimitations

This study focuses on finding out the number of selected female and male senior high

school students with unhealthy body image due to social media.

This study is exclusive only to those students who are enrolled in EMEMHS and are

aged 16-19 years old. In addition, this study is only limited to the impact of social media to the

body image of students and will not discuss issues other than that.

Definition of Terms

Social Image – According to Britannica, social media, is a form of mass media

communications on the Internet (such as on websites for social networking and microblogging)

through which users share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as

videos).

Based on the web results, an operational definition of social media could be: Social

media are web-based and mobile technologies that enable users to create, share, discuss, and

modify user-generated content in online communities and networks.

Body Image – based on PSYCHALIVE, Body image is the perception that a person has

of their physical self and the thoughts and feelings that result from that perception. These

feelings can be positive, negative or both, and are influenced by individual and environmental

factors.

Body image is the mental representation an individual creates of themselves, but it may

or may not bear any relation to how one actually appears. Body image is subject to all kinds of

distortions from the attitudes of one's parents, other early experiences, internal elements like

emotions or moods, and other factors.

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Review of Related Literature

Unrealistic Beauty Standard

Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are popular with young adult

women, with research showing that they spend more than 2 h per day posting and sharing

content (Fardouly et al., 2015, Saiphoo and Vahedia, 2019). During this time, users are

frequently exposed to ‘highlight reels’ - content which has been carefully selected to showcase

the user in the most flattering way (Lazuka, Wick, Keel, & Harriger, 2020). Images are

frequently enhanced with filters and airbrushing to remove perceived flaws and enhance beauty

(Alberga et al., 2018, Griffiths and Stefanovski, 2019). These idealised images have been

associated with a range of negative effects for young women including body dissatisfaction

(Cohen and Blaszczynski, 2015, Fardouly and Vartanian, 2015) and disordered eating (Cohen

and Blaszczynski, 2015, Holland and Tiggemann, 2017). In response to these narrowly defined

beauty ideals, the body positivity movement has become increasingly visible on social media.

The body positive movement promotes acceptance and appreciation of diverse bodies

of various shape, size, and color (Cohen et al., 2019a, Tiggemann et al., 2020) and may serve

as an ‘antidote’ to the frequent depiction of idealized images. Body positivity comprises six

core elements, including appreciation of the body’s unique beauty and functions, body

acceptance and love, broadly conceptualizing beauty, adaptive investment in body care, inner

positivity, and protecting the body by filtering out negative ideals (Tylka & Wood-Barcalow,

2015). Body positive content on social media features ‘enhancement-free’ images of women

with visible blemishes, freckles, cellulite and stretch marks, the inclusion of varied body shapes

and sizes, stories of recovery from eating disorders, and women of larger body sizes engaging

in exercise or modelling latest fashion trends (Cohen, Fardouly et al., 2019). Thus, in the

literature, diverse imagery is usually conceptualized as unedited imagery which shows a broad

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range of women in non-objectified ways. Additionally, diverse imagery is often accompanied

by text captions which provide context for the image (e.g., ‘love your body’) and hashtags (e.g.,

#bodypositivity).

Experimental studies examining the effects of viewing body positive content have been

done using several different types of imagery. These include the use of unedited photos in the

form of no make-up selfies (Fardouly & Rapee, 2019) or enhancement free images (Tiggemann

& Zinoviev, 2019); non-thin body sizes (Tiggemann et al., 2020); plus the use of captions or

hashtags (Tiggemann and Zinoviev, 2019, Tiggemann et al., 2020). The first experimental study

(Cohen, Fardouly et al., 2019) to explore body positive content on Instagram used a mixture of

content such as images of plus-sized women with body acceptance captions or plus-sized

women engaging in yoga. Women who viewed this content reported a significant increase from

pre- to post-test in positive mood and body satisfaction, and higher post-test state body

appreciation than women who viewed thin-ideal images. However, it also resulted in similar

self-objectification scores to the thin-ideal condition, although the former was significantly

more positive in nature.

Subsequent research started to disentangle the effects of different components of body

positive content, such as the relationship between the imagery and captions. Overall, research

supports benefits of viewing body positive imagery. Viewing images of attractive women

without make-up where blemishes and discoloration were present (interspersed with images of

the women wearing make-up) appears to mitigate a drop in facial dissatisfaction (Fardouly &

Rapee, 2019). Similarly, viewing enhancement-free images (i.e., thin and attractive women not

wearing make-up and shown in a more natural way) resulted in less facial dissatisfaction and

less upward appearance and facial comparison than the idealized images (Tiggemann &

Zinoviev, 2019). Finally, several studies have shown that exposure to women of larger body

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sizes is associated with positive effects across several state body image measures (e.g., Moreno-

Domínguez et al., 2019, Tiggemann et al., 2020, Tiggemann et al., 2018, Williamson and

Karazsia, 2018).

The presence of captions or hashtags alongside body positive messaging does not

appear to offer any additional benefit, and in some instances, may trigger poorer outcomes.

Hashtags include phrasing such as #bodypositivity, #loveyourbody, and #everybodyisbeautiful,

which may also be accompanied by captions such as “my life is so much more than my jean

size” (Tiggemann et al., 2020). One study found that body positive captions had no effect on

body dissatisfaction or body appreciation when attached to images of thin or average-sized

women (Tiggemann et al., 2020). However, levels of thin-ideal internalization and type of

image appear to moderate these findings, such that there is some benefit to body appreciation

for women high on thin-ideal internalization who viewed average-sized bodies with body

positive captions. When women high on thin-ideal internalization viewed thin images with

body positive captions, they had lower body appreciation than when viewing the images by

themselves. That is, body positive captions were more effective when attached to images of

average-sized women.

The negative impact of captions has also been noted in other studies. Tiggemann and

Zinoviev (2019) found that body positive hashtags under natural, non-enhanced images

resulted in greater facial dissatisfaction and more comparison than viewing the same images

by themselves. They argued that the hashtag may draw attention to the model’s appearance,

which may paradoxically encourage appearance comparisons and trigger body dissatisfaction.

That is, “the presence of the hashtag effectively “undoes” the benefits of posting enhancement-

free images” (pg. 136). However, the use of body positive captions attached to fitspiration

imagery mitigated the increase in negative mood found when the same imagery was captioned

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with fitspiration content (aspirational health and fitness content with an appearance focus).

Further, trait weight and body esteem were higher in the body positive caption condition than

the fitspiration caption condition (Davies, Turner, & Udell, 2020). Therefore, women’s

responses to body positive content depends on the interaction between the style of image, the

sentiments of the caption (e.g., whether the content is genuine body positive content), and the

connection or congruency between the two (e.g., what we refer to as congruent body positive

content).

Body positive content at its core aims to foster broader conceptualizations of beauty.

Indeed, a content analysis found this to be the most common theme in body positive Instagram

posts (Cohen, Irwin, Newton-John, & Slater, 2019). Thus, existing trait levels of broad

conceptualization of beauty may be an important, yet previously unexplored, individual

difference factor when considering women’s responses to body positive content (Cohen, Irwin

et al., 2019). According to Tylka and Wood-Barcalow (2015), this positive body image

construct involves perceiving a wide range of appearances as beautiful. Societal ideals of

beauty are rejected and internal factors like self-confidence are valued in appreciating beauty

in both other women and one’s self (Tylka and Iannantuono, 2016, Tylka and Wood-Barcalow,

2015). Although related to body appreciation, the two are recognized as separate constructs

(Tylka & Iannantuono, 2016). Women who hold broad conceptualizations of beauty may be

more responsive to diverse body positive imagery and we explore it here as a potential

moderating factor in women’s response to body positive content on Instagram.

Theoretically, exposure and engagement with body positive content may help women

to strengthen their own body image through the appreciation of multiple forms of beauty and

normalization of body variations. This in turn may increase body acceptance and reduce the

need for social comparison. According to social comparison and objectification theories,

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individuals may engage in upward social comparisons when exposed to comparison targets that

are seen as superior (Mills et al., 2018, Tiggemann and Polivy, 2010, Vogel et al., 2015).

Idealized images on social media are recognized as potent sources of appearance comparison

which can result in a host of negative outcomes (Brown and Tiggemann, 2016, Fardouly and

Vartanian, 2015, Tiggemann and Polivy, 2010). Given how modified these images often are,

Fardouly, Pinkus, and Vartanian (2017) suggest that these comparisons are more harmful than

those which may occur to people in daily life. It flows then that exposure to more natural images

may discourage social comparison or result in downward comparisons that trigger less negative

reflection on one’s own body (Tiggemann and Polivy, 2010, Tiggemann and Zinoviev, 2019).

Appearance comparisons to non-idealized imagery is typically lower (Tiggemann and

Zinoviev, 2019, Tiggemann et al., 2020), however it is unclear how the presence of body

positive captions or hashtags modify this relationship. Two studies have reported no differences

in appearance comparison between images of average-sized women with, and without, body

positive captions (Tiggemann et al., 2020), and between enhancement-free images with, and

without, associated short captions (e.g., #enhancementfree, Tiggemann & Zinoviev, 2019). The

latter study did find that the hashtag version resulted in more upward comparisons on

attractiveness. In our study, we used a combination of images of diverse women and body

positive hashtags and captions. We tentatively predict that this ‘double dose’ of body

acceptance messaging and diverse imagery may be effective, particularly given the congruency

and authenticity of the messaging. To explore this idea, measures of both the direction and

amount of appearance comparison were included.

As noted by previous researchers, body positive captions presented alongside images

of thin and attractive models may seem disingenuous (e.g., Tiggemann et al., 2020) and serve

to commodity the body positive movement (Cwynar-Horta, 2016). To return to the core themes

of the body positive movement, we examined the impact of unedited images of women

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displaying a range of body shapes, sizes, and appearances (what we term ‘diverse’), both with

and without body positive messaging. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to

examine whether broad conceptualizations of beauty moderated the effects of image exposure.

Participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions (diverse imagery with or

without captions, or cityscapes) and were assessed on mood, body appreciation, appearance

satisfaction, appearance comparison and broad conceptualizations of beauty. We first predicted

that exposure to both sets of body positive conditions, but not cityscapes, would result in an

increase in state appearance satisfaction, body appreciation, and positive mood. We tentatively

expected this increase to be of a larger effect size in the condition containing the diverse

imagery plus the congruent captions, given the ‘double dose’ of positive information. Next, we

expected that trait levels of broad conceptualization of beauty would moderate findings such

that women with higher trait scores would respond more positively across the state measures.

In terms of the amount and direction of social comparison, we tentatively predicted that the

captions would serve to reduce social comparison compared to the images by themselves. This

was consistent with our rationale behind hypothesis 1 that the ‘double dose’ of body acceptance

messaging may be effective.

The current investigation explores whether the written captions that Instagram profile

owners choose to accompany the images they post influences the personal reactions of

observers to those images. Social media sites have set new norms in how people present

themselves to others, with images reflecting thin and toned physical appearance being

increasingly prevalent (Tiggemann & Zaccardo, 2018). Exposure to such images has been

found to contribute to body image concern in young women (e.g., Fardouly & Vartanian, 2016;

Tamplin, McLean, & Paxton, 2018). Users’ comments posted as responses to social media

images have been demonstrated to influence the impressions formed of profile owners

(Walther, Van Der Heide, Hamel, & Shulman, 2009) and the body satisfaction of observers who

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read them (Tiggemann & Barbato, 2018). The comments chosen by profile owners to caption

their images can be used to reinforce appearance ideals (Simpson & Mazzeo, 2016). However,

little is known about the direct impact of these image captions, and more research is needed to

understand their specific effects on social media users.

‘Fitspiration’ posts which combine images and messages emphasizing the appeal of

exercise and diet to improve physical health, attractiveness, and lifestyle are common on social

media (Deighton-Smith & Bell, 2018; Griffiths & Stefanovski, 2019). Exposure to such content

has been linked to increased negative mood and reduced body satisfaction in young women

(Tiggemann & Zaccardo, 2015) without necessarily leading observers to engage in greater

exercise (Robinson et al., 2017). Such content often encourages restrictive appearance

standards and guilt‐focused messages regarding weight, diet, and body shape which are

thematically similar to thinspiration (Boepple & Thompson, 2016). Whilst fitspiration-style

posts are known to often include images of healthy foods (e.g., Tiggemann & Zaccardo, 2018),

investigations into the impact of fitspiration on body satisfaction have mainly used

experimental stimuli containing images of female bodies only. Furthermore, a content analysis

by Carrotte, Prichard, and Lim, (2017) revealed fitspiration images are not only more likely to

adhere to thin and athletic ideals, but also contain sexualized images that objectify female body

parts. It follows that fitspiration trends may exert additional pressures on how women should

look that go beyond simple weight concern, and which require a multifaceted approach for

assessing body-esteem outcomes.

Prichard, McLachlan, Lavis, and Tiggemann, (2018) examined the presence or absence

of appearance-related inspirational comments overlaid on fitspiration images of women

performing exercise or posed, finding that negative mood and body dissatisfaction outcomes

occurred irrespective of the presence of text. However, when presented as replies from other

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Instagram users to images posted by attractive women, Tiggemann and Barbato (2018) found

that comments praising physical appearance led to greater body dissatisfaction in observers

than comments referring to the background or location of the images. Comments presented

below Instagram images of highly attractive women, emphasizing their selective and edited

nature, were found to be ineffective at reducing body dissatisfaction in observers and led to

less favorable impressions of the profile owner (Fardouly & Holland, 2018). This suggests their

use could be counterproductive as a strategy for addressing body image concerns. However,

Slater, Varsani, and Diedrichs, (2017) demonstrated that viewing a mock Instagram account

containing a mix of fitspiration images and images of self-compassion quotes overlaid on

patterned backgrounds, improved body satisfaction outcomes compared to viewing fitspiration

images alone. The precise role played by words either overlaying or accompanying social

media images remains unclear, and their influence seems dependent on how such text is

specifically presented (e.g., as a quote within an image, as a disclaimer label, caption, or

response to an image).

Cohen, Fardouly, Newton-John, and Slater, (2019) have shown exposure to Instagram

posts consisting of body positive images and captions can lead to improved outcomes for young

adult women compared to thin-ideal or landscape-focused posts. However, since both body-

size and body-presence varied across the conditions in their study, the effect of caption text

alone cannot be interpreted. It is possible that body-positive captions married to images of

idealized appearance could serve to discourage harmful body comparisons, in a similar manner

to the self-compassion comments used by Slater et al. (2017). The present study further

examines the impact of social media images depicting fitspiration ideals, by exploring whether

their effects on body esteem and mood can be alleviated by the written messages captioning

each image.

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 Body image disturbance is associated with several mental disorders. Previous research

on body image has focused mostly on women, largely neglecting body image in men.

Moreover, only a small number of studies have conducted gender comparisons of body image

over the lifespan and included participants aged 50 years and older. With regard to

measurement, body image has often been assessed only in terms of body dissatisfaction,

disregarding further aspects such as body appreciation or the importance of appearance. The

aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore different aspects of body image in the general

German-speaking population and to compare men and women of various ages. Participants

completed an online survey comprising questionnaires about body image. Body dissatisfaction,

importance of appearance, the number of hours per day participants would invest and the

number of years they would sacrifice to achieve their ideal appearance, and body appreciation

were assessed and analyzed with respect to gender and age differences. We hypothesized that

body dissatisfaction and importance of appearance would be higher in women than in men, that

body dissatisfaction would remain stable across age in women, and that importance of

appearance would be lower in older women compared to younger women. Body appreciation

was predicted to be higher in men than in women. General and generalized linear models were

used to examine the impact of age and gender. In line with our hypotheses, In the past, studies

have investigated the impact of gender and age on body features related to the cognitive-

affective component. Specifically, research on body dissatisfaction has shown that girls and

female adolescents (e.g. 21–24), and women of all ages (e.g. 12, 25, 26) report body

dissatisfaction. While some studies revealed that the level of body dissatisfaction varied across

different age groups (27, 28), others found that body dissatisfaction remained quite stable

across the adult lifespan in females (20, 25, 29, 30). Studies examining other aspects of the

satisfaction-dissatisfaction continuum, such as weight dissatisfaction (15, 31) or satisfaction

with particular body parts (13, 32), also found body dissatisfaction in women. Frederick and

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colleagues (33) estimated that 20% to 40% of women are dissatisfied with their bodies.

Nevertheless, body dissatisfaction is also reported in men, suggesting that 10% to 30% of men

show body dissatisfaction (33) or 69% of male adolescents to be dissatisfied with their bodies

in terms of their weight (34). Frederick and colleagues (14) even reported that 90% of male US

students in their sample described themselves as being dissatisfied with respect to muscularity.

In terms of body evaluation, striving for increased muscularity, referred to as drive for

muscularity (35), has emerged as a central issue for boys and men (e.g. 35–38). It was shown

to be distinct from body dissatisfaction (39). However, although previous studies reporWhile

body dissatisfaction seems to remain stable across age in women, studies suggest that the

importance of appearance appears to decrease with age (40). In line with Pliner and colleagues,

Tiggemann and Lynch (41) found in a group of females aged 20 to 84 years that the importance

of appearance was lower in older than in younger women. For men, only one study has

examined the importance of appearance, and found that it varied between age groups and

reached a peak at age 75 years and older (42). To our knowledge, no other study has examined

the importance of appearance in men over the lifetime. Thus, it remains relatively unclear

whether the importance of appearance remains stable or changes over the lifetime in men. With

respect to body appreciation, Tiggemann and McCourt (20) demonstrated higher body

appreciation in older than in younger women. Furthermore, high body appreciation was found

to be protective against the negative effects of media exposure to thin models in women (43).

Other studies reported that body appreciation in men and women was associated with a low

level of consumption of Western and appearance-focused media (44) and correlated negatively

with internalization of sociocultural ideals (45). However, studies focusing on age differences

regarding body appreciation in males are lacking. Previous studies on body image have mostly

considered age-related changes in either men or women, or in particular age groups (e.g.

college students, adolescents). Only a limited number of studies have compared men and

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women with respect to the aforementioned aspects of body image. These studies generally

found greater body dissatisfaction in females than in males (e.g. 29, 30, 46–49). Men (vs.

women) seem to place less importance on their appearance (42, 50, 51) and report slightly

higher levels of body appreciation (e.g. 45, 52–54). Tylka and Wood-Barcalow (55) also

reported higher body appreciation in college men (vs. college women), but were unable to

replicate this effect in a community sample. In contrast to this latter result, Swami and

colleagues (53) reported higher body appreciation in men than in women in a sample from the

general Austrian population. However, these studies comparing men and women did not

analyze their data with respect to the impact of age. Only a small number of studies have

investigated the effect of age and gender on body dissatisfaction, importance of appearance and

body appreciation. In a two-year longitudinal study, Mellor and colleagues (56) found that body

dissatisfaction was higher in females than in males and higher in younger than in older

participants. In another longitudinal study, Keel and colleagues (15) examined men and women

over a period of 20 years. As men aged, the authors observed increasing weight and increasing

weight disorder.

Other studies found higher levels of body dissatisfaction (28) and lower levels of

satisfaction with certain body areas (29) in women than in men. However, the latter study did

not find any gender- or age-related effect on overall body dissatisfaction (29). Concerning the

importance of appearance, Öberg and Tornstam (42) found that women placed more importance

on their appearance than did men, and that this factor remained stable across different age

groups in women but varied in men. These results are contrary to the findings of Tiggemann

and Lynch (41) and Pliner et al. (40), who found that the importance of appearance decreased

with age in women. However, this discrepancy may be due to the assessment method in the

study by Öberg and Tornstam, as they used a single item to evaluate the importance of

appearance. Hence, the development of importance of appearance in men and women across

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the lifespan remains unclear. Of appearance. Hence, the development of importance of

appearance in men and women across the lifespan remains unclear. Although, as mentioned

above, some studies have found that women place less importance on their appearance as they

age (40, 41), this aspect has not been examined in a large population sample comprising

different age groups in relation to the impact of gender and age. Furthermore, studies

comparing body appreciation between men and women across different age groups are lacking.

To our knowledge, no previous study has examined body dissatisfaction, importance of

appearance and body appreciation in the general population including men and women aged

16 to 50 years and older. Therefore, the present study aims to fill this research gap by analyzing

these negative and positive aspects of body image in a general population sample considering

gender and age.

First, based on the previous findings outlined above, we predicted that body

dissatisfaction would be higher in women than in men (Hypothesis 1) and would remain stable

across age in women (Hypothesis 2). As no previous study has investigated body dissatisfaction

across the whole lifespan in men, we aimed to examine a potential influence of age on body

dissatisfaction in men. Second, we hypothesized that women would place more importance on

their appearance than men (Hypothesis 3), but that in line with the aforementioned studies,

across age, older women would report lower levels of importance than younger women

(Hypothesis 4). Given the lack of corresponding studies in men, we intended to investigate the

importance of appearance and its relation to age in men in an exploratory analysis.

Furthermore, appearance orientation assesses the importance of appearance in terms of the

extent of investment in one’s appearance (e.g. grooming behaviors) and in terms of the

attention one pays to one’s appearance. However, it does not quantify how many hours or years

people would be willing to invest in their appearance to look the way they want to. Therefore,

as a measure of the importance of appearance, we additionally assessed the number of hours

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men and women would be willing to invest per day to achieve their ideal appearance, and the

number of years of their life they would sacrifice to achieve their ideal appearance. Third, we

predicted that body appreciation would be higher in men than in women (Hypothesis 5). As the

aforementioned studies examined gender differences without analyzing the impact of age, we

aimed to investigate potential changes in body appreciation across age in an exploratory

manner.

Fourth, to consider the well-documented increase in BMI over the lifetime (e.g. 46, 57,

58) and its potential association with the outcome variables, we examined these relations as a

control analysis by calculating correlations between the subjective evaluations of body image

and BMI.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.

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. 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.

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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.Positive effects of social media on body image and 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.

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 The body-positive group with captions. This group viewed the same Instagram images,

but with accompanying captions and hashtags.

The control groups. 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. The body positive movement promotes acceptance and appreciation of diverse bodies

of various shape, size, and color (Cohen et al., 2019a, Tiggemann et al., 2020) and may serve

as an ‘antidote’ to the frequent depiction of idealized images. Body positivity comprises six

core elements, including appreciation of the body’s unique beauty and functions, body

acceptance and love, broadly conceptualizing beauty, adaptive investment in body care, inner

positivity, and protecting the body by filtering out negative ideals (Tylka & Wood-Barcalow,

2015). Body positive content on social media features ‘enhancement-free’ images of women

with visible blemishes, freckles, cellulite and stretch marks, the inclusion of varied body shapes

and sizes, stories of recovery from eating disorders, and women of larger body sizes engaging

in exercise or modelling latest fashion trends (Cohen, Fardouly et al., 2019). Thus, in the

literature, diverse imagery is usually conceptualized as unedited imagery which shows a broad

range of women in non-objectified ways. Additionally, diverse imagery is often accompanied

by text captions which provide context for the image (e.g., ‘love your body’) and hashtags (e.g.,

#bodypositivity).

WASHINGTON — Teens and young adults who reduced their social media use by 50%

for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and

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their overall appearance compared with peers who maintained consistent levels of social media

use, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

“Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of body image issues, eating

disorders and mental illness,” said lead author Gary Goldfield, PhD, of Children’s Hospital of

Eastern Ontario Research Institute. “Youth are spending, on average, between six to eight hours

per day on screens, much of it on social media. Social media can expose users to hundreds or

even thousands of images and photos every day, including those of celebrities and fashion or

fitness models, which we know leads to an internalization of beauty ideals that are unattainable

for almost everyone, resulting in greater dissatisfaction with body weight and shape. “However,

much of the psychological research on social media, body image and mental health is

correlational, according to Goldfield, so it is uncertain whether people with body image and

mental health issues spend more time on social media or if social media use leads to greater

body image and mental health issues. To better understand the causal effects of reducing social

media use on body image, Goldfield and his colleagues previously conducted a pilot study with

38 undergraduate students with elevated levels of anxiety and/or depression. Some of the

participants were asked to limit their social media use to no more than 60 minutes per day,

while others were allowed unrestricted access. Compared with participants who had unlimited

access, participants who restricted their use showed improvements in how they regarded their

overall appearance (but not their weight) after three weeks. Due to the small sample size,

though, the researchers were unable to conduct a meaningful analysis of the effect of gender.

The current experiment, involving 220 undergraduate students aged 17–25 (76%

female, 23% male, 1% other) and published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media, sought

to expand the pilot study and address the gender limitation. In order to qualify, participants had

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to be regular social media users (at least two hours per day on their smartphones) and exhibit

symptoms of depression or anxiety.

For the first week of the experiment, all participants were instructed to use their social

media as they normally would. Social media use was measured using a screen time tracking

program to which participants provided a daily screenshot. After the first week, half the

participants were instructed to reduce their social media use to no more than 60 minutes per

day. At the start of the experiment, participants also responded to a series of statements about

their overall appearance (e.g., “I’m pretty happy about the way I look”) and weight (e.g., “I am

satisfied with my weight”) on a 5-point scale, with 1 indicating “never” and 5 “always.”

Participants completed a similar questionnaire at the end of the experiment. For the next three

weeks, participants who were instructed to restrict their social media use reduced it by

approximately 50% to an average of 78 minutes per day versus the control group, which

averaged 188 minutes of social media use per day. Participants who reduced their social media

use had a significant improvement in how they regarded both their overall appearance and body

weight after the three-week intervention, compared with the control group, who saw no

significant change. Gender did not appear to make any difference in the effects.

“Our brief, four-week intervention using screen time trackers showed that reducing

social media use yielded significant improvements in appearance and weight esteem in

distressed youth with heavy social media use,” said Goldfield. “Reducing social media use is

a feasible method of producing a short-term positive effect on body image among a vulnerable

population of users and should be evaluated as a potential component in the treatment of body-

image-related disturbances. “While the current study was conducted as a proof of concept,

Goldfield and his colleagues are in the process of conducting a larger study to see if reduction

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in social media use can be maintained for longer periods and whether that reduction can lead

to even greater psychological benefits.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variable – Dependent Variable Model (IV-DV)

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Social Media Usage Perception of Body Image

Theoretical Framework

Sociocultural theory – briefly, sociocultural theory describes how the appearance ideals

and associated positive expectations set up by media images and messages lead individuals to

adopt them as their own personal standards (appearance ideal internalization), and engage in

appearance comparisons that, dues to being largely unfavorable, result in body dissatisfaction

(Keery, Van den Berg and Thompson, 2004 [62]).

Methodology

This study was conducted in order to know if social media has an impact on the

formation of body image. In order the gather the necessary data, the researchers utilized the

descriptive method, using quantitative approaches. A total of 40 respondents were randomly

selected as participants. The survey-questionnaire method was the research instrument used for

data-gathering.

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 The senior high school students specifically the grade 12 are the one who has been

chosen in this study accomplished survey-questionnaire to evaluate the impact of social media

on the formation of body image. The answers were then computed to compare and analyze the

results. This chapter will be dedicated in the description of methods and procedures done in

order to obtain the data, how they will be analyzed, interpreted, and how the conclusion will

be met. This section is to justify the means in which the study was obtained and will help in

giving it purpose and strength. All these will help in the processing of data and formulation of

conclusions.

Specifically, this research will cover the following: the research design and method, the

respondents, the data collection instrument, and the data analysis. These will be presented

below.

I. Research Method

For this study, the research used quantitative approach. The quantitative research

method permits specification of dependent and independent variables. The quantitative method

is compatible with the study because it allows the research to be conducted in a very specific

and set terms (Cooper & Schindler, 1998). It also follows resolutely the original set of research

goals, arriving at more objective conclusions, testing hypothesis, determining the issues of

casualty and eliminates or minimizes subjectivity of judgement (Kealey & Protheroe, 1996).

II. Research Instrument

The researcher designed a self-administered questionnaire for the data gathering

process to get a quantitative data. The primary aim of the questionnaire is to determine the

impact of social media in the formation of body image. The researcher used a closed question

questionnaire. A closed question is one that has pre-coded answers. The simplest is the

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dichotomous question to which the respondent must answer yes or no. Through close questions,

the researcher will be able to limit responses that are within the scope of this study.

III. Respondents of the Study

The study was participated by grade 12 students of Enriqueta Montilla De Esteban

Memorial High School. All of the participants were selected through random sampling. In order

to conduct this sampling strategy, the researcher defined the population first, listed down all

the members of the population, and then selected members to make the sample. For this

purpose, a self-administered survey questionnaire was given to the respondents to answer.

Data Analysis Procedure

GENDER

The number of respondents that

participated in our research are in total of 40 with

20 male and female.

STRANDS

These are the total number of respondents

per senior high school grade 12 strand.

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 These are the ages of the respondents who

participated.

Ethical Consideration

As this study utilized human participants and investigated on the senior high school

students of Enriqueta Montilla De Esteban Memorial High School, certain issues were

addressed. The consideration of the issues present is necessary for the purpose of ensuring

privacy as well as the security of the participants. These issues were identified in advance so

as to prevent future problems as well as the security of the participants. Among the significant

issues that were considered included consent, confidentiality and data protection.

In the conduct of the study, the survey forms were drafted in a very clear and concise

manner to prevent conflicts among respondents. Respondents were given ample time to

respond to the questions posed on them to avoid errors and inaccuracies in their answers. The

respondents were given a waiver regarding the confidentiality of their identity and the

information they gave were disclosed. The respondents’ cooperation was eagerly sought after,

and they were assured that the data gathered from them would be treated with the strictest

confidentiality, so that they would be more open. This was done with the hope to promote trust

between the researcher and the respondents.

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 Chapter 2

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The results of the survey conducted in the category of Unrealistic Beauty Standard

question 1, states that 40% of the 40 respondents are rarely using social media with 35% of the

population answering sometimes. In question 2, the respondents answered that in a day they

see netizens using filters which was agreed by 52.2% of the respondents. In the question of

what platform has a lot of filter users the majority answered Tiktok, followed by Facebook and

Instagram. In question 4, 55% of respondents answered no, that they were pressured to maintain

a body image that complies with the beauty standard of society with 30% answering yes and

15% saying not sure. In the 5th question, 52.5 % says no about the question if unrealistic

standard contributes to feelings of dissatisfaction of your own appearance and 47.5 % agrees

that the unrealistic beauty standard contribute to our body dissatisfaction.

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 In the second part of the survey questionnaire in the category of Influence of Social

Media the participants were asked about the things they mostly see on the internet and 43.6%

of respondents answered beautiful faces, while 30.8% answered perfect faces followed by

15.4% of fit people. In the second question about them feeling insecure 62.5% of respondents

are not feeling insecure while 37.5% are feeling insecure. In the third question about wanting

to look like the influencers, 72.5% answered no and 27.5% answered yes. About the fourth

question if they experienced bullying because of their appearance 62.5% Answered no

followed by 25% saying sometimes and 12.5% saying yes. The last question in this category is

if others opinion matter to them, 50% answered no while 27.5% answered maybe and 22.5%

answered yes.

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 In the third category of our survey questionnaire most of the respondents’ experience

body image issues in their weight with 40%, followed by 35% of respondents answering face

and 10% answering skin color and shape followed by 5% for size. In the second question if

social media has a negative or positive impact 92.5% answered neutral, followed by 5% saying

it’s positive and 2.5% saying it’s negative. In the third question if they have ever been

discriminated because of their look, size or form of body 32.5% says none and sometimes

followed by 30% saying rarely, and 5% saying often. In the fourth question about if they ever

feel that opinions and comments affect their body image, 47.5% says slightly, 30% saying

moderately, 17.5% saying not at all, and 5% saying very much. In the last question of the survey

about how satisfied they are of their body image with 10 being the highest and 1 being the

lowest, 13.2% answered 10, followed by 7.9% of 9 and 8, followed by 18.4 % of 6 and 7, and

21.1% of respondents answered 5, followed by 2.6% of 4, 2 and 1.

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 Chapter 3

Summary and Conclusion

The result has shown that social media has no impact in the body image of senior high

school students in Enriqueta Montilla de Esteban Memorial High School. While the results are

all close to each other it is still evident that the majority of the respondents are not affected by

things in social media. However, it shows that people in the media such as influencers are

massive user of filters, and the things mostly seen are beautiful faces, perfect faces that are

results of applications. In addition, the respondents are all victims of insecurity and the majority

are insecure of their weight.

In conclusion, society has standards which are not even that reachable and since the rise

of social media and application which edits our face and photos we can’t deny that everyone

started to be like the others. Moreover, not everyone feels insecure for confidence should start

within us and not the opinions of others.

Recommendations

The recommendations of the researcher are to survey more participants if given enough

time so that the research will be more applicable to the population. Second, is to have a more

thorough computation of the results. Third is to conduct an interview face-to-face to have a

more solid result.

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 Chapter 4

PROPOSED PROGRAM

1-day Symposium entitled "UniqueKa-kaNETIZEN"

The UniqueKa-kaNETIZEN Symposium, is the symposium that educate youth about

the perspective on their body image and their uniqueness as an individual. In a world saturated

with diversity, we celebrate the kaleidoscope of human beauty that radiates from within. Join

us on this transformative journey as we explore and embrace the distinctive facets of personal

beauty, encouraging everyone to embrace their unique qualities and become true NETIZENS

of their own extraordinary beauty.

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References:

Davies, B., Turner, M., & Udell, J. (2020, March 17). "Body Image" Science Direct -
https://www.sciencedirect .com/science/article/abs /pii/S174014451830367X

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

Vocks, S., Hartman, A., Buhlmann, U., Dusing, R., & Quittkat, H. (2019, December 17)
Frontiers – https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00864/full

Social media effects on body image and eating disorders. (2021, April 21). News -
https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2021/04/social-media-effects-on-body-image-and-eating-
disorders/

Unknown. (2022, January 18). Life Lines - The Impact of Social Media on Body Image
& Mental Health. - https://www.ualberta.ca /human-resources-health -safety-environment
/news/2022/01-january /february-2022-life-lines .html
Rodgers, R. F., & Rousseau, A. (2022). Social media and body image: Modulating
effects of social identities and user characteristics. Body Image, 41, 284-291.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j .bodyim.2022.02.009

Hutchinson, D., & Rapee, R. M. (2007). Do friends share similar body image and eating
problems? The role of social networks and peer influences in early adolescence. Behaviour
Research and Therapy, 45(7), 1557-1577. - https://doi.org/10.1

McShirley, C. (2015, August 21). What is body image? PsychAlive.

https://www.psychalive.org/what-is-body-image/

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 Appendices

Appendix A: Letter of Approval for the Propose Program

Appendix B: Letter of Approval for the Venue

Appendix C: Letter for Profiling

Appendix D: Survey Questionnaire

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