What Are Social Media Beauty Standards?
When we talk about “beauty standards online,” we must remember that in the real world, people come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. However, when you enter apps like Instagram or TikTok, you are instantly welcomed into a completely different reality. Social media beauty standards are the specific, often unrealistic physical features that get the engagement. Usually, this includes flawless skin, a “perfect” body type (which changes with trends), perfectly white teeth, and a symmetrical face. While beauty standards have always existed in fashion magazines and movies, social media takes it to a new level. It creates a digital illusion of what a “normal” young person should look like, making anyone who doesn’t fit in feel like an outsider.
How Are These Standards Being Implied On Young People?
It all comes down to algorithms, influencers, and modern technology. When a young person is just scrolling through their phone to pass time or have fun, the algorithm constantly pushes the “ideal” faces and bodies to the top of their feed. Why? Because those posts generate the most engagement. You don’t even have to search for them, they are forced onto your screen. But the biggest trick here is the filters and photo editing apps. In the past, editing a photo required a computer and a lot of professional skill. Today, anyone can download a free app and completely change themselves. Even worse, many social media filters change your face automatically without you even asking for it. When young people see thousands of influencers and even their own friends posting heavily edited photos, these fake standards are implied as the “baseline” for being attractive.
What are the psychological effects on young people?
The mental damage caused by these online standards is huge. When you see someone who looks impossibly perfect, and then you look in the mirror, it is incredibly easy to feel insufficient. You might feel like you are not good looking enough, thin enough, or muscular enough. This constant, toxic comparison is deeply harming the self-esteem of a whole generation. One of the most common psychological effects is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). This is a mental health condition where a person becomes obsessed with a minor or completely imagined flaw in their appearance. Because young people are constantly staring at filtered versions of themselves and others, they start hating their natural, unfiltered faces. Furthermore, this constant comparison leads to severe anxiety and depression. A teenager might stop going out, avoid taking pictures with friends, or isolate themselves because they feel they don’t match the “standards” they see online. They feel like they are falling behind in a race that is entirely rigged. It is an endless cycle of scrolling, feeling bad about yourself, and scrolling again to distract yourself from those bad feelings.
In conclusion
These standards being implied on young people are just digital illusions. Yet, their effect on mental health is very real and dangerous.
Written By: Doğaç ÖZCAN
0 Comments