The Impact of Body Shaming on Social Media Use

Abstract

Body-shaming is an issue that frequently happens especially among adolescents in this modern era. Many studies on body-shaming indicate that body-shaming can lead to serious mental problems such as mood disorder, anxiety or even depression. As a result, body-shaming may also possibly change people’s way to socialize or their social behavior in a negative way. Nowadays, social media has become a platform for people to interact with others most of their time. Therefore, this study focused on how body shaming affects people’s social behavior by seeing at how someone uses social media.

The objectives of this study is to find out whether body shaming affects people’s social behavior or not and to identify whether the impact of body shaming on social media use is caused by their own perception or because they were body-shamed by others. The subjects of this study were school and college students in the age group 13-25 years and were selected randomly. They were given a questionnaire to find out about their thought or experience on body-shaming, how they use social media on daily basis and the correlation between body-shaming and social media.

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TULIS SIGNIFICANCE Keywords: Body-shaming, Social Media, Social Behavior

Introduction

Research indicates there is a strong correlation between eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa and depression in women and even more than 90-95% of cases of anorexia happen to young women (Mental Health America, 2019). These eating disorders can happen because people feel anxious about their body appearance which can be caused by body shaming.

Body shaming is an action of criticizing or giving critical comments about someone’s appearance (Cambridge Dictionary,2019). When someone is praised because of their look, the result may be good since it will increase their confidence. On the other side, when someone is judged because of their body (body shaming), it can give a negative impact to their physical and mental health (Daniela and Victoria, 2019). Based on the survey conducted by Refinery29, most women heard the critical comment of their body before they turn 14 and it shows that from young age, we are already criticized about our appearance (Refinery29, 2017). Furthermore, body-shaming commonly happens to adolescents, but in some cases, body shaming also occurred to people regardless age, gender, and ethnicity. In fact, researchers have always shown a strong connection between body shaming and depression. Nowadays, body shaming is recognized as being the major cause of depression, especially on students. In this case, a study shows many students are bullied mainly because of their body shape, size, or appearance which leads to body-shaming (O’Brien C.,2018). Being the object of bullying make people to feel not confident and become anxious of what others thought about them. Research from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health strengthened the statement by showing that victims of body shaming are usually don’t like to socialize with others or make friends and this will eventually increase their feeling of hopelessness and once again rise their depression rate (Brewis A. A.,2018). Another research from Metropolitan State College of Denver also states that people who like to criticize and judge their body or appearance show higher level of depression (Hamilton, S.R., 2008). Looking from society these days, social media has been immersed to their life and many people are frequently looking to social media to find beauty role models (Crystal,2017). As a result, lots of people especially women are attached to the beauty standard from social media although sometimes it may be destructive or toxic. According to the research made by University of Massachusetts Boston, body-shaming occur because of the lack of ability to follow the ideal standard created by social media (Evans M.,2010). Hence, there are a lot of cases where people are body-shamed just because their appearance are not compatible to that standard. For this reason, body shaming are stated to lead people toward depression since they also build and develop a feeling of hopelessness. Within the next few years, body shaming will certainly affect victim’s mental health and lead to a higher rate of depression which is a serious matter, especially for the young generation. It is clearly shown that body shaming has affected people in many aspects including decreased self-esteem and low confidence. In this era, people frequently interact with others using social media and there has been a lot of people reported to be body-shamed on social media. Consequently, people who have been victims of body shaming will be more cautious when using social media or even worse they may stop using social media. As a result, social media will be only filled with people who are thinking that they are suitable according to the beauty standard created by media In essence, there has been a lot of research related to body shaming and the focus of the research is also varied. For example, research from University of Massachusetts Boston studied the role of body shame and self-objectification in hopelessness depression among college-age women. Similarly, research from International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health also studied about how weight shame affects social connection and lead to depressive symptom in late adolescence as well as research from Metropolitan State College of Denver which studied about the relationship between perceived Body Image and Depression. All of these research states the same thing which is body shaming can cause depression. Despite that issue, no one as far as we know has studied how body shaming affects people’s behavior on social media and it is not known yet whether these changes in behavior is caused by their own perception or others who body-shamed them. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate whether body shaming affects their social behavior or not by looking at how they use social media. Another objective is to identify whether the impact of body shaming on social media use is caused by their own perception or because they were body-shamed by others. After this study is finished, TULIS SIGNIFICANCE People will learn how to stand up for themselves or others. It will encourage the victims to speak up and to seek help from others. People will learn the effects of body shaming on the way the victims socialize with others. Therefore people will realize and understand that conquering the fear to socialize after being body-shamed is difficult and challenging. People will not consider trivial about the impacts of body shaming since it can affect the victims in significant ways.

Methodology

The methodology of this study uses a questionnaire to gather data and descriptive statistics to evaluate the data. The methodology of this study uses survey forms to collect data and descriptive statistics to analyses the data. In this study, students of both sexes within the age group of 13-25 from different backgrounds. The colleges were situated near each other and also an online survey form, for convenience. A random sample was included in this study. The data was collected from students of different colleges so that the final assessment would be more precise and biases kept at a minimum. The respondents were first explained the reasons of this study. Next, formal consent was obtained and the survey forms were given to the respondent when they were off the class or the link was given via emails or texts. Confidentiality of the respondent’s information like names will be kept to ourselves. Data thus collected was systematized for further analysis. Hamilton, S. R. (2008). A relationship between perceived body image and depression: How college women see themselves may affect depression. Student Journal of Psychological Science, 1(1), 13-20.

Social Media Body Shaming

The media has changed the way beauty is seen, then the readers or watchers start to think differently of themselves. This bothers me because over the years that the media industry has grown, the more damage they cause instead of doing the opposite. I think this affects everyone, especially teens. Most reality tv shows, celebrities, new music all objectify how the perfect girl is suppose to look causing girls to want to look like that, curving or a certain height. That causes more insecurities not only for females but also for males too. I know many girls that look up to these celebrities to the point where they want to look like them and start hurting their bodies many stop eating to lose weight, others inject their lips because if they don't have kylie jenner lips then no one will like them. I'm not saying changing yourself up is bad but changing because others are telling you is not right. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say and I think it's true everyone is their own person and is beautiful in their own way. If the media wouldn't come out so hard on different types of bodies and would add more variety to their models and would think more about who their content is going toward there could honestly be a huge change.

I believe this problem started to make more awareness as soon as the use of social media started growing. Social Media has lead to a increase in body shaming, I mean even our president is a part of this. “Body shaming is humiliating, with often painful, long-term consequences,”(HEALTH NEWS) . This messes with younger generations minds it affects their confidence. “Overweight characters are often the butt of jokes on TV sitcoms,” she told Healthline. “This makes body shaming the norm.” ,”(HEALTH NEWS) . This supports that the media has used weight as a their joke. I believe this effects and affects both in positive and negative ways, starting with it effects overweight kids to lose weight or helps them build a wall against bullies which can be a pro and con. It affects people by making them insecure, and pushing them to self harm at times or serious sickness. This problem is going to take years to solve the stereotype of models and how a “perfect” body is.

Although model industries and the media are trying to clean up it's going to be really hard, many have grown with this mind concept. Starting with models who turned to anorexia to stay a perfect size now that illness is stuck with them and who knows they could pass it down. Many might not agree that body shaming in the media exist because they are blindfolded to the situation many consider it “simply bullying” and it is but it goes far more than that.

Body shaming on social media has been known to mess with girls self esteem meaning that it affects the way they think about themselves. “Body image is a big problem in our society, and can lead to depression, social anxiety and eating disorders.” (Heather R. Gallivan). Studies actually show that many are not happy with their bodies so pointing out flaws on social media really does make things worse. Now mostly it's teenage girls and boys that read most of these social media accounts so the problem starts with them. “Over 60% compared themselves to fashion models,and 46% used fashion magazines as a body image to strive for!” (Heather R Gallivan). As young adults they start looking for ways to identify themselves and if the media idolizes the perfect body as a size 0-1 and a 5’10 height it gets frustrating for them if they are not those measurements and that's when the trauma starts.

Body shaming is something we try to prevent although everyone has their own opinions we can teach kids that it's okay to be chunkier or skinnier than your friends, also we can teach self love because it all starts with the person itself. It's actually a great thing that the media started showing plus size models so girls understand its okay not to be a size 0 everyone is beautiful in their own way. Society has a cruel way to point out flaws but if you love yourself whatever society classifies you as you won't care and the people that truly love you don't care either. My solution would work because like that were teaching them young to love themselves and to not pay so much attention to what the media does or what gets people more likes or views.

Sources:

• http://www.macmh.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/18_Gallivan_Teens-social-media-body-image-presentation-H-Gallivan-Spring-2014.pdf
• https://www.healthline.com/health-news/body-shaming-in-social-media#3