Body Positivity and Social Media: The Impact of Online Platforms on Our Body Image
What impact can social media have on our relationship with our bodies? Both negative and positive!
Long legs, defined arms, perfect curves, clear skin - what we used to see mainly when walking past huge advertising posters or leafing through a glossy magazine is now presented to us every day on social media. Body ideals still shape our society. What does it do to us when we see these ideals every day?
The pursuit of supposed perfection
The big problem with body ideals is this: it suggests to us that the perfect body exists and that ours must look exactly the same. On social media we constantly see people who have the perfect body. Many then compare their body with that of others - albeit often unintentionally or rather unconsciously - and are then left feeling insecure.
However, what is forgotten far too often is that every body is naturally different. Some people are naturally tall and slim, others have curves, a fuller body, are short or muscular. The problem with our society is that we still cling to the idea that there is right and wrong and only one version of beautiful.
Our top priority should always be that we feel good in our bodies . It's completely natural to want your body to look fitter or tighter and to want to do something about it. The crucial question is what the reason is behind it. It should never happen out of a lack of self-acceptance or because we are suggested from outside that we need to change.
Unfortunately, social media can have a major negative influence on this. Many people don't realise how many of the photos we see on social media are retouched. Most people have no idea that stars and starlets are not immune to dents or stretch marks.
“ Loving your body means stopping believing that it has to look this way. ”
However - and that's the good news! - Social media can also have the opposite effect. Fortunately, a lot has happened in recent years. There are more and more personalities and influencers who are doing away with idealized and unrealistic body images. They show their followers what is possible with the help of posing, light and retouching - and thereby prove that in real life everything doesn't always look as perfect as it does on Instagram etc. A breath of fresh air in an online world that is dominated by apparent Perfection and highlight reels are determined. They are the answer to the longing of many for more genuineness and authenticity . Anyone who follows them will realize: It's okay to be who you are.
At the end of the day, that's what really matters. Namely, that we feel good and realise that we are good the way we are. Loving our bodies means stopping believing that they have to look this way. What content we consume on social networks and what messages we get from it is ultimately in our hands. Because yes, there is also the positive effect that social media can have on our body image.
