Beauty standards

Before, we used to shape our perception of beauty out of movies, celebrities or magazines.

But today and for decades now, social media became the media to our exposure to the world and the images we see impact the way we perceive ourselves. Social media have the power of dictating what is considered « beautiful ».

Due to these social platforms on which thousands and thousands of images are posted every single day, there is an opportunity to redefine beauty.

A new study conducted by Dove in 2014 revealed that about 82% of women believe social media has greater impact on how we define beauty today. Indeed, 1.000 women between the ages of 18 and 64 years in the United States are convinced that their conception of beauty is shaped by « women in the public domain » and social media.

This study shows that more than ever before, women are looking to people like themselves for beauty inspiration or more specifically, to the women they see while scrolling through social media.

Whether women are rating beauty products, giving each other advices, sharing personal beauty/body image stories, and posting their own images or ‘selfies,’ beauty has become more personalized and more inclusive on the social platforms.

All these social platforms allow (conduct to) the democratization of beauty and include the voice of masses.

Blogs, Facebook, Instagram accounts, pinterest and Twitter hashtags call for a celebration of different body shapes, ethnicities, and ages. Moreover, anyone can express his own view on « beauty » by posting an image or a comment and by liking, sharing or following pages, articles (etc).

But it’s not just the exposure to these images that is damaging. It’s our interaction with them—the pressure to have the perfect profile pics, the comparisons we make, and the dangers of the constant scrutiny of our own and other's’ bodies.

All of this can lead to the will of a “oneself redefinition” because of a reduction of self-esteem and confidence, especially among teenagers. They question their looks and undervalue the true beauty in themselves because they are comparing themselves to these images of unattainable beauty and want to fit with them.

Unfortunately, mostly girls draw the line between inspiration and fixation. They want to look alike the bloggers they follow. They also buy the makeup they advise, the fit tea they drink, the clothes they wear, and so on (this is good for marketing!). But this king of fixation, in certain extreme situations, can lead to disorders like anorexia for example.

Most of the time, and unfortunately for them, the exposure to ideal images coincides with a period in their lives where self regard and self efficacy is in decline, where body image is at its most fragile due to physical changes of puberty and where the tendency for social comparison is at its peak.

In conclusion, as you can see, the media can have many influences in relation to beauty,

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