When a younger individual is using media, what do we exactly look at when it comes to said media? A lot of people have realized, especially in the 2000’s, that it affects mental health. There‘s a lot of beauty standards that teens and individuals feel they have to live up to. Many of the side effects have included eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and many other related mental health issues. Various apps such as Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, and many more prime examples have been known to be used by big celebrities.

As a student of Capital High School, I have begun to notice a lot of behavior and images replicated from celebrities in the media. As we go into this year of 2022, I have noticed a lot of negative outbursts. I feel this behavior could have been started from not only being in quarantine these last two years, but also from the social media app known as Tiktok. Many behaviors have been mimicked and presented from this app. Some examples include videos of people looking at people‘s shoes in the bathroom, the multiple accounts dedicated to the school, and the overall amount of negative comments students throw at each other.

Social media is a place where bodily image takes a toll on many individuals’ health, both mental and physical. While social media can be very enjoyable and somewhat reliable to spread content, it can also be false and misleading. Many influencers, like Kim Kardashian, promote fast weight loss through diet shakes, diet tea, and appetite suppressant lollipops. In an interview with Jenny Morgan, a capital high-school counselor, I had asked her if there was a moment where her or someone she knows was affected by social media positively or negatively. Morgan says that “I have seen students over the years that have a poor self-image. My opinion is that celebrity media can negatively impact students, because it gives us the illusion of attainable perfection, especially in appearance. This can lead to individuals feeling like they to have to be perfect, based on what we see through media. That is just not true and it is not real life. Remember that there is beauty in imperfection and as my grandmother always said, True beauty is not on the surface, it lies within us.” Many teenagers do experience a lot of insecurity in the media and are affected with mental health issues. An article, “Is social media increasing eating disorders in teens,” by Forbes, explains that “Teens who spend more time on social media could be far more likely to developing eating disorders. According to new research teens who spend just 30 minutes a day could have increased feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness and notably poor self–image, the latter of which could lead to unhealthy eating behaviors.”

What can we do about this situation? I believe if more people were willing to be more body positive, and set realistic images and views on their body, that we could help promote healthier life styles. At the end of the day, all bodies are beautiful bodies, and nobody deserves to feel less than because of another person’s image in media.

Even though the amount of people who face body positivity isn’t as big as those who face body negativity due to media, theres a few people who i had interviewed that didn’t face any negative affects of media. Some students are more focused on academics, don’t have media, or just don’t care about social constructs. Students don’t always feel the need to express themselves because of a media post or they don’t feel the need to compare themselves to celebrities and others using media in general.

https://soyummy.com/celebrities-shamed-diet-products/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2019/12/17/is-social-media-increasing-eating-disorders-in-teens/?sh=3639c0cdf246