Essay Sample on Body Image

Many contemporary issues confront humans on a daily basis in today's society. Some of these issues are simple to resolve, while others may take some time or may not be resolved at all. A rising issue currently is body image, the ideal body shape for a female in this society is the hourglass type. People frequently feel terrible about themselves and doubt their own worth. In other words, society tends to imply that having the ideal body is your ticket to a happy life. Social media has become a source of escape for many people in society. As a result, it does pose a risk on social media by socially creating an unrealistic image of the perfect body and perfect lifestyle people are expected to live. Every culture has a "perfect body image" to which everyone compares their own. Girls, in particular, have the mentality that they must look like models on TV and in magazines. The skinnier the girls, the more perfect their image is conceived.

Body image is how a person perceives their own body and how attractive they believe they are. Many people are self-conscious about their bodies. These concerns frequently revolve around weight, skin, hair, or the shape or size of a specific body part. People have valued the beauty of the human body throughout history. These views are frequently shaped by society, media, social media, and popular culture, and this can have an impact on how a person perceives their own body. Poor body image or dissatisfaction is frequently caused by comparing your body to what the media portrays as the ideal body size and shape for females, you must be skinny, curvy, big chest and bottom; for male, you are expected to be lean and muscular. 

An article I came across called “Psychology of Popular Media” by Giovanni Schettino, Rosa Fabbricatore, and Daniela Caso is a study about the negative effects of social media on young people's lives. The researchers wanted to find out how selfie-posting behavior, selfie-editing behavior, internalization of beauty ideals, and appearance comparison on Instagram raise body image concerns and generally develop eating disorders in many people. The sample size of the study was 350 young adult Instagram users consisting of people who are from Italy and Portugal. Participants reported their age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, education level, and nationality. The method the researchers used to gather the information was by sharing a questionnaire with all the participants about psychological factors related to Instagram usage. Based on their data, they discovered that selfie- posting was not directly related to body shame. Selfie posting, on the other hand, influenced body shame through the compromise of appearance comparison.  Analysis of the results and conclusion of the study show that participants occasionally used photo-editing tools to make themselves look better in the photographs they posted on Instagram and reported moderate selfie posting behavior. Additionally, participants generally admitted to occasionally comparingxxf their physical attractiveness to other influencers. They came to find that internalization of beauty ideals, body shame, and selfie posting behavior all had strong and favorable associations with one another. The article contributes to our understanding of sexuality by explaining the reason behind why we see our bodies the way we do. Whether we are aware of it or not, how we view our bodies significantly impacts every aspect of our lives, including the choices we make. People who are self-conscious about their bodies may make inappropriate sexual choices which all correlate with the way this society; because social media, expects everyone to have the perfect body or look.

After further research, I'd like to share two stories about two brave young ladies who had the courage to go out to the public and share their experiences with body image. Mary Jelkovsky is a TEDx speaker who recently shared her story. She won a trophy at a major bikini fitness competition when she was 17 years old. In order to win the competition, she had followed a strict hardcore diet and worked out every day. Mary believed that changing her lifestyle to focus on fitness would help her overcome her body image issues, but she was wrong. Everyone was complimenting her on how great/fit she looked, which slowly deteriorated her mental health  Mary hadn't realized how she has destroyed here mental health until one day her mother messaged her telling her to meet her at a coffee shop, her mother told her that she got her a mocha, which in Mary's world was impossible, she straight up thought about the number of calories, sugar, and dairy there is in that cup of mocha which caused her to storm away from her mother crying.  Mary said “ I got another text from my mom. It says ‘I just want you to know that I love you very much, I am here for you anytime you need me’.  As I read the words on the screen, I paused. I finally stopped crying. I took a deep breath, so relieved that she had already forgiven me and I let myself feel her love, because my mom loved me when I couldn't love myself. In this moment, I also realized that my body image struggles robbed me of so many of life's beautiful experiences.”  Mary's sudden realization is the moment that every person dealing with body image issues needs. Mary discusses the importance of self-love and provides a reminder for those days when you don't feel so good about yourself to pause, take a deep breath, and allow yourself to feel the love; your self-worth. Bridget Malcolm, an Austrian model who exposes Victoria's Secret, is the second story I'd like to mention. Her agent sexually assaulted her as a model, he also told her to use cocaine and have lots of sex in order to lose weight. She starved herself the majority of the time; she once went three days without eating anything; her goal was to go five days without eating, but she kept passing out, which upset her because she didn't meet her goal. Bridget stated “ i've had have ptsd, i've had an eating disorder, i've struggled with anxiety,, with depression with suicidal ideations. like I have been through it, and i'm through it, i'm out the other side and i'm better for it, so i want to hopefully pay it forward I want to hopefully add my voice and if other people are struggling they can see that they too can get help and get”. Bridget’s goal is to provide the help needed to those who have had the same experiences as she did. She starved herself to ‘fit in’ and also had suicidal thoughts regarding the fact that she was skinny. She had all the characteristics needed to please the society yet felt like she wasn't good enough because of her agent. 

Body image is a bigger issue than people think. We are determined to effect change, for the better or for the worse, through social media. It is critical that we begin taking steps to create a better picture of body image, whether by believing in ourselves or by assisting others who are struggling. If we are unable to physically assist others, we can assist them socially by utilizing social media platforms in the proper manner, educating everyone, including yourself, on the value of themselves, and dispelling the fear of what this society thinks of us.