The Dangerous Lie of Online Beauty
According to the Pews Research Center, 9 out of 10 teenagers aged 13-17 use social media. While catching up with friends, seeing what’s happening in the world, or even learning new skills are all part of the allure of social media, we can’t ignore that the main purpose for social media seems to be an unattainable image of others and ourselves. The standards of beauty, now more than ever, are causing irreparable harm.
Photo by Morgan Alley on Unsplash
THE LIE
Beauty filters are specific photo editing tools that use artificial intelligence to alter facial features in photos. Common filters are “the skinny filter” on TikTok, which makes your face look slimmer, and the “perfect face filter” on Instagram, which adjusts facial features according to an ideal ratio.
It seems impossible to catch up in a world where everyone has become the beauty icon, the fittest on earth, and the most desirable human. How are they all doing it? Do they spend hours in the gym, eat lettuce, or suddenly wake up with a different bone structure? Or is it the magic of beauty filters, turning us into the creatures we think we have to become? According to a 2021 survey by Parents Together, nearly half of teenagers using social media apply filters to their images to alter their appearance (in reality, it must be an even more significant number). This correlates directly to a future desire for plastic surgeries.
It is, honestly, one of the subjects that bothers me the most. If you don’t look like a supermodel but want to, then change it by putting in the hard work, or accept defeat in that field and work towards another goal, but do not fake it by using filters, posing, and apps to trick others. Not only is it not worth it to you, because you will feel self-conscious every time you go out into the real world, or worse, other young people might see those fake images and think there is something wrong with them. Because, in reality, almost nobody looks like that. Not even the models. And that’s ok.
THE DANGER
When I Googled ‘‘altering body image online’’, I thought I would get articles on body image and mental health, statistics, and facts, but instead, the first hits were all apps to help alter our appearance with a couple of clicks. The apps and filters are spreading like wildfire across the youth. According to a report by the City University of London, nearly 90% of social media users apply some filters to their photos and videos. Over 600 million people have used a filter on Facebook's Instagram account. Why did the participants use filters? Ninety-four percent reported feeling pressured to look a particular way, and more than half described that pressure as intense.
The impact of social media on mental health has become painfully clear in recent years. Not only do these apps promote constant unhealthy comparisons with other people, but they also blur the lines of reality in a way that makes it impossible to live up to the imaginary world we see online, possibly resulting in poor mental health, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders.
The reality of truth is disappearing into the sea of lies that has become our new reality. And it is dangerous.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
I get it! Scrolling through the workout photos on sandy beaches, clips of acai bowls, and evenings on yachts with tiny bikinis over ‘perfect’ tanned bodies. I’ve felt it—that bang of desire, of the roots of jealousy choking around my neck, the anger of ‘their’ looks, their lives, their happiness. It has taken me years to figure out what that really meant.
The typical advice here would be to stop scrolling and embrace your authentic self. Well…forget that! That’s not how human nature works, especially when we are young and impressionable.
THE ADVICE
Forget about the ‘others’ you see online. They’re a lie. They’re just artificially generated aliens pretending to be one of us. If you want to look like that, you would have to fake it, pretend it behind a screen, and nothing pretend will ever be real. And that’s what I want for you—real joy in yourself.
However, there is a reason we admire those images. We think these people are fit, healthy, wanted, and happy. The good news is that this is achievable. If you are altering your photos, that means you care about how you look, and I think that’s great. Our image is what we present to the society. It’s what might get us opportunities and recognition. As a tennis coach, I try to maintain my body as athletically and fitly as I can because that’s what I ask from others. So, if you feel self-conscious about your body or want to be healthier, set up a more active routine. Find a sport, an activity you enjoy, and stick with it. Eat healthy, and take care of your body. Manage your time well and learn to respect yourself. Trust me, it feels great to earn the pictures you can be proud of because that’s you! (I wrote an article about the 6 Steps to a Good Body Image. Check it out for a detailed plan to follow.)
We also feel jealous or alter our photos because we want to be that model, that athlete, that influencer. However, we need accept limitations and our own reality, in order to make it an incredible exciting journey. Society has many different opportunities. Some of us have the perfect bone structure, height, and body type to walk the runways, pose in magazines, and live a disciplined life to maintain our beauty and work. They are called models. (Influencers are not models btw). The rest of us should admire them for their work and find our own unique, cool things to do. Not everyone can be a model, just as everyone can not be a pro basketball player, a scientist, an astronaut, or whatever else that requires a specific skill set, genes, or challenging work from an early age. But everyone can be something! Find your ‘thing’ or ‘things’ and excel at those. Post about those achievements and inspire others with actual results. No filters are necessary.
I don’t understand how people create a new persona online. For what? You will look like you in the mirror, in front of your partner, or in front of others, not the fake picture. Altering one’s body online into skinnier or curvier seems bizarre because your mind will know the truth. It benefits no one! By changing your image online and living a fake life, you will waste time finding what you’re truly meant to be doing. Instead of tricking young girls and boys into shaming themselves, try to find something real to inspire others. Let’s go!
