Gabriela Arredondo

Jennifer Rodrick

English 115

10/2/17

Social Media and its participation in Body Shaming

There is much debate over the concept of technology. Many argue that it is beneficial in

communicating with people while others claim it to be harmful to our mental and emotional

health. So the question arises: is technology more beneficial or more harmful? After researching

both the pros and cons, I have concluded that the negative effects overpower the positive effects.

This is clearly displayed on social media sites where body shaming is the new trend,

negatively affecting our self-love and forcing us to alter our appearance/ identities.

Social media is extremely influential in the sense that it can promote ideas and viewpoints

and can successfully shift our perspective on certain topics. However, it is through the rude and

hateful comments that ultimately cause our perspectives to change on what we deem as

acceptable in the beauty world. Our narrow-minded and overly critical society has shaped the

way some of us think, turning some into the internet trolls that are compelled to comment

something rude or hurtful on someone elses post. What started out as a place where you are able

to share your journeys and experiences has quickly become a toxic environment for

strengthening our relationship with our bodies (Body Shaming and Social Media).

As I have stated before, society has programmed many of us to think that we must look a

certain way to be considered beautiful or handsome and social media has only added to the

problem. Although some might not care what others think of them, many can agree that, seeing
a constant stream of buff people can make people feel a need to look a certain way. (Scott,

THE EDITOR) We are taught what is considered the acceptable and ideal body image

when we see hundreds of pictures of women who either have flat stomachs, big hips and chests

or who are very slim, with toned stomachs and men who are tall and extremely muscular with

sharp jawlines. You will only come across men and women with these specific body types being

seen in certain advertisements such as Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Victoria

Secret fashion commercials. What these several commercials and other advertisements imply is

that these body types are the only acceptable body shape but what many people and society in

general need to understand is that Theres no right and wrong with bodies. (Scott) Our body is

our body and there is nothing wrong with the way we look. We do not need to change, society

does. As Faythe Arredondo has stated in the article Body Imagein and Out of Books, We

dont want perfection. We want to be real people, because being yourself is more important that

pretending to be or look like someone else.

If you were to go on social media to an account that has a significant amount of followers or

friends, you will be able to see that there are always a handful of people that say something

mean and hurtful because that person whos account theyre commenting on do not follow the

rules or do not meet the standards the person commenting has. Body shaming negatively affects

our self-esteem tremendously and can cause many of us to change our appearance so that we can

fit in and be called beautiful or handsome. We become gullible to what we see on social media

because of our need to be accepted. Many of us struggle to accept our bodies the way they are

and reading these negative comments can surely drag us down more. It affects us emotionally

and we then become self-conscious and go on diets and start exercising to the point that it can

become unhealthy and dangerous. All this effort to change our appearance to please someone
who hides behind a computer, phone or tablet screen just proves that words can hurt; they leave

scars and continuously run through our mind, reminding us of a time or comment we so

desperately want to forget.

To companies advertising diets and exercises, social media is considered a blessing to them

because it allows these companies to advertise their products to people. If you were to go online,

you will see these advertisements that pop up on the sides of the screen or some that even go so

far as to take up the entire screen, promoting their products or services like the company Weight

Watchers. You see this advertisement pop up on your screen and many will ask themselves in

their mind if they need to watch their weight and become self-conscious about their bodies after

seeing this advertisement. Also, you will see many celebrities promoting certain brands and

companies that deal with dieting and losing weight such as the brand FitTea and after seeing a

handful of celebrities and other people post about it, many of us will go out of our way to

purchase their tea. This is how we are ultimately manipulated by social media. Through these

advertisements, social media is feeding us the concept of being skinny and slim.

As we struggle to accept our bodies, seeing gorgeous, tall, and skinny women and tall,

muscular men on social media does not help our self-esteem. We compare our bodies to those

models that are seen on social media and degrade ourselves for not looking like them, ultimately

body shaming ourselves. It does not have to be what another person said for someone to

experience body shaming, all body types (suffer) from the ridicule and shaming of an overly-

critical culture. (Body Shaming and Social Media) Claire Mysoke, CEO of the National

Association of Eating Disorders has stated in the article In case you havent heard, Body

shaming in public or private and at any age is unacceptable and continues a social norm in our
country that, at best, is hurtful and, at worst, creates damaging and life-altering insecurities that

can have lasting effects, bringing attention to the negativity that body shaming brings.

Regardless of the fact that social media has participated in the body shaming trend, there are

positive aspects to it. Through social media, we are able to communicate more efficiently to

friends and family who do not live close to us and we are also able to meet new people more

easily and befriend them. Social media is the gateway to communication across the world and

technology in general has given us the ability to do extraordinary things. These advancements in

technology have also helped in the medical field and are extremely beneficial to the human

population.

Society has these set standards of how you are suppose to look, behave and think and if you

do not follow one or any of these rules you are ridiculed and degraded for merely wanting to

be your own person. We suffer from trying to become someone who is unique and are

continuously mocked from those who perceive us as wrong. Social media has made is much

much easier for hateful comments to emerge and essentially cause us to question ourselves. All

the negativity can and will take its toll on our mental and emotional health. Body shaming does

not target only a specific group, everyone experiences it in some point of their life. But it is

ultimately our decision to let those negative comments affect us. For someone who has accepted

their body for the way it is and what it does for them, both the ... negative and positive feedback

from others would carry less importance. (Body Shaming and Social Media) How is that

possible? Well, once you accept yourself, you will come to realize that the only opinion and

acceptance you need is your own, not anyone elses. It is your unbiased opinion that matters the

most and fuels your decisions and emotions.

 Work Cited

"Body Shaming and Social Media." UWIRE Text, 26 Apr. 2017, p. 1. Expanded Academic ASAP,

libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=EAIM&sw=w&u=csunor

thridge&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA490689197&asid=120e87bc6dcc78a4a7a78daa83

dc2da9. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.

Diaz, Shelley M. "Body Image--in and Out of Books." School Library Journal, vol. 61, no. 9,

2015, pp. 12-n/a, ABI/INFORM Collection,

http://libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1708214590?acc

ountid=7285. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.

"In case you haven't heard ..." Mental Health Weekly, 14 Nov. 2016, p. 8. Expanded Academic

ASAP,

libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=EAIM&sw=w&u=csunor

thridge&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA471554184&asid=5d811bbc30c820a263a9563e80

b1a101. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.

Scott, Darren. "THE EDITOR." Gay Times, 05, 2016, pp. 11, GenderWatch,

http://libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1781336217?acc

ountid=7285. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.