Has Social Media Altered Beauty?

    The emergence of social media has our current generation surrounded. Media, whether that be via the internet or newspapers, has always had some control over people's mindsets. This has been observed with presidential elections, the increased power of certain movements, and the latest fashion trends. However, recently, social media apps, such as Instagram or TikTok, have shown us hundreds of new faces a day, which we were not used to before. Beauty throughout the years shows us that it is forever changing; however, the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" stays constant throughout conversations. This sparked interest in psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers. How do we perceive beauty? Is it like what Plato or Aristotle believed, which explains that beauty comes from mathematical explanations such as symmetry? Or is it like Locke, who believed that it was a subjective matter? 

    In the journal article Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder or an Objective Truth? A Neuroscientific Answer by Norberto M. Grzywacz, et al., Grzywacz explains the phenomenon of how we see beauty. They determined that not only was it objective, relying on mathematical purposes like Plato or Aristotle, but also subjective, like Locke. Additionally, the subjective view is more flexible and individualized; therefore, it is more influenced.

    Recently, I’ve been seeing people talk about internal vs. external beauty and which is more important. With that being said, beauty is always up for debate. For example, what do you seek in a partner—is personality or looks more important? Although people will say both, it is difficult to argue that people don’t care about looks. The BBC notes that the connection between social media and body image is purely correlational but still noticeable. Although beauty is influenced by possible insecurities, peers don’t help much either. The BBC article mentions a survey of female university students, who said that they would tend to compare themselves with influencers, celebrities, or their peer group. Beauty has been tainted with self-hatred and negative body images. Additionally, this article continues to mention that those who post about loving their bodies will tend to get negative comments from other people who follow suit.

    Overall, it is important to take a break from social media every once in a while. Although I know that can be a big ask, it can be critical to how you see others or yourself. If it is difficult to give up social media, it is advised to follow people that are good for your self-image or that have motivational quotes that remind you to feel good about yourself.

BBC Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-how-social-media-affects-body-image