Well, not so much. Social media use can have dangerous effects on how young women think about their bodies. Amy Kranzler, PhD, an attending psychologist at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, New York, explains: “Young adulthood is a particularly important time in the development of identity, personal values, and self-esteem, and it is also a time of shifting interpersonal influences. For these reasons, young adult women may be particularly influenced by messages that they encounter via social media.” Research presented in May 2018 at the British Psychological Society’s annual meeting by Martin Graff, PhD, faculty of life sciences and education at the University of South Wales in Pontypridd, UK, offers only some of the latest findings that support this idea. In short, the research found social media can warp our expectations of how we should look and be.
Social Media Makes Us Worry About What Others Think
Graff and his fellow researchers asked young British women how much time each day they spent on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook. Those who spent over an hour each day worried more about what other people thought about their bodies. They also tended to believe that “slender women are more attractive.” Prior to this study, a paper published in November 2014 issue in the journal Body Image showed the more time college-age women spent on Facebook, the more they compared themselves with friends and the more they worried about their physical appearance. Social media can be excellent for maintaining ties with friends and family, but that immediacy can have harmful consequences. As Graff says, “Seeing our friends doing great things may make us more envious than if we see celebrities engaging in the same activities.” Megan Coral, a therapist who works at the Renfrew Center of Northern New Jersey in Ridgewood, New Jersey, echoes those concerns, especially when women have low self-esteem. “Consuming images of ‘perfect bodies’ and ‘perfect lives’ will lead people to think that these images are attainable,” Coral says, adding that such consumption may also encourage them to “engage in risky or harmful behaviors.”
Social Media Makes Us Stress Over ‘Imperfections’
Another study of American and Australian women, published in February 2017 in the journal New Media & Society, suggests that the more someone uses Instagram, the more likely she is to objectify herself. For women suffering from low self-esteem, seeing idealized images and comparing themselves can be a cause of stress. “We break ourselves down into pieces and feel badly if that piece doesn’t look like we want it to,” says Coral. Women aren’t thinking of their bodies as functional wholes with lots of moving parts but instead as a stomach that’s too flabby or thighs that are too thick. When scrolling through your feeds, Coral advises to be aware of the poster’s intended message. No matter the platform, it’s important to remember people edit their photos to show their ideal selves. Graff asks, “Does anyone ever post embarrassing photos or a bad hair day?” In fact, 50 percent of social media users admit to editing their photos before posting, a 2014 Renfrew Center survey found. Even if we don’t go that far, we might un-tag ourselves from friends’ less-than-flattering photos or spend time on our photo stream selecting the “perfect” profile pic. Maybe we should be more mindful of what we put out on social media and what we take in.
5 Ways to Develop a Healthier Relationship with Social Media
Check in with yourself and ask how you’re feeling when looking at feeds. If jealously or self-consciousness pops up, it might be time to rethink your relationship with social media. Here are some steps for using your social media more mindfully. 1. Take a social media timeout. If going cold turkey scares you, start small. Turn off push notifications. Set a timer and shut down the app when you hit your limit. Kranzler suggests not logging on at all when we are feeling vulnerable. 2. Check your filters. Sometimes, when we look at social media accounts, we can’t help but draw comparisons. We see positives in someone’s post and compare them with the negatives in our lives. Our minds filter out the good and focus on what upsets us. Celebrate your victories and focus on what you’ve accomplished. 3. Follow inspiring accounts. Find influencers who promote body positivity. There are dozens of roundups you can find online! Even better, follow accounts that focus on how to achieve career success or build better friendships. Build positive self-image through the value of your mind. 4. Use social media to find your tribe. Healthy relationships are crucial for our mental health. Use Meetup.com to find people who share your interests and connect in real life. Get involved with a cause you care about through Facebook events. 5. Post positivity. Before you pin, post, or tweet, ask yourself: “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?” What value will others take from your social media posts? Instead of mindlessly retweeting, be more conscious about what you share on your feeds. Put good things out there, and good things will return to you. Women need to reframe the conversations in our heads. “When looking in the mirror, focus on parts of your body that you feel proud of, not just the parts you tend to be most critical of,” Kranzler says. Sure, maybe your thighs are thicker than the photos of your friends. But they carried you through your first half marathon earlier this year. Replace negative labels with uplifting terms that remind you what your body can do, not just how it looks. Treat yourself with kindness. After all, every body has a story worth telling.
