Article by Chloe Burcell

Skills We Need For Life By: Chloe Burcell

(How Covid-19 Affected Body Image in Teenagers) When Santa Clara County went into quarantine on March 13th of last year, high schooler and varsity athlete Amanda Gamble didn’t quite know what to do with herself. Prior to quarantine, Gamble was busy six days a week training and competing with her rowing team, hanging out with her friends and boyfriend, and keeping up with her studies at Los Altos High School and Foothill Community College. But much like every other teenager in the area, she suddenly found herself stuck at home with her family, and hours upon hours of free time to fill. The uncertainty of whether or not she would get to participate in club tournaments with her rowing team, go to concerts, and resume normal life in the summer consumed her thoughts. To keep herself preoccupied throughout the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, she scrolled through her social media feed.

It was on Tiktok and Instagram where she first encountered “glow up” accounts, social media platforms which promote and market intense lifestyle changes, diets, and workout routines to viewers as a way to improve oneself and become more attractive. Like many other teenage girls and women over quarantine, she had stumbled upon workout enthusiasts like Chloe Ting and Alexis Wren, who swore by grueling mat workouts as a way to achieve perfect, flat, hourglass stomachs. As an athlete who was not getting as much physical activity as she normally would, Gamble was eager to try these workouts out.

What she did not realize was that instead of making her feel better, this decision would throw her into a darker place than ever before.

Amanda Gamble at rowing practice

Gamble soon began to compare herself to other girls on the internet—girls who had the supposed right outfits, the right bodies, the right looks. Girls who seemed to be so much happier because they “glowed up”. Suddenly, Gamble felt much worse about herself. As she admitted, “Because I had so much free time, I would just spend it scrolling Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. I would just see these images constantly, and I was like, I have to look like that” (Gamble). Gamble’s issues with her self image were not new. They were something she had experienced much of her life, but it has always been more of an underlying issue. Nonetheless, the idea of self-improvement preoccupied her mind, allowing it to become a bigger priority for her than it had been before.

What Gamble experienced over this past year is not uncommon. The additional anxiety and stress caused by COVID-19 was not manageable through the coping mechanisms humans previously have used to control negative thoughts, considering that reaching out to friends, family, and other support systems was suddenly much harder than it had been previously. The pandemic caused a greater desire for thinness among women due to the high levels of anxiety people were experiencing as a whole, and the pressure to maintain health and fitness. According to a recent study, “[During lockdown] women may have felt under greater pressure to conform to traditionally feminine roles and norms” (“COVID-19 Anxiety Linked to Body Image Issues”). Simultaneously, messages about self-improvement on social media may have led women feeling dissatisfied with their bodies and having a greater desire for thinness.

The Bottom Line:

Especially during this past year, when access to treatment has been limited and experts weren’t around to notice their patients’ changes, there has been less intervention to help those who are struggling. While body image issues may not seem like a serious problem, the Eating Recovery Center states that “Negative body image can segue into dangerous eating disorders, like anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, or yo-yo dieting,” (“Body Image Issues Are On The Rise”). Unlike a licensed medical professional, it is hard for the average person to identify someone with an eating disorder, much less provide aid to them. Despite the common misconceptions about eating disorders, a person cannot determine if someone has struggled with these issues on the basis of body type, gender, or age alone. The stress and anxiety caused by isolation and change in routine over quarantine has affected all people, and as a result the virus has worsened mental health issues such as body dysmorphia, body image issues, and eating disorders. And because of the rules and regulations regarding public safety during the pandemic, it has become even more difficult to identify these issues.

Body image problems often come along with anxiety and paranoia, so maintaining trust with those who are struggling can help rebuild their sense of self worth. Looking back at her recovery, Gamble shared that it was important for her to acknowledge that our bodies need food not only to survive, but to continue to be the beautiful, strong individuals that we are on the inside. She added that what has helped her the most is acknowledging that no one can tell her how her body is supposed to look; in other words, every person’s body is healthy, so long as they feel good in it! As for managing her feelings while on social media, she urges her peers to surround and follow themselves with good influences, and to follow people who are real people.

“Your ED may hold you back sometimes, but you’ve just gotta learn that self love and self strength so you can learn your body again, and learn that your not just a number on the scale, you’re not just a Lululemon size, you’re not the clothes you wear, the image you see in the mirror. You are so much more than what your mind is putting you through, you’re so much more than what your mind makes you think you are.”

About the Author:

Chloe Burcell is 17 years old and a Junior at Freestyle. Along with Digital Media and English, Chloe studies film. In her loves to dance, write and direct plays, try new foods, and most importantlysleep. She is also a researcher for the Indigenous Foundation, which helps raise awareness about native issues on and offline. Chloe hopes to use the skills she learned in Freestyle to think and design creatively in any career she chooses to take!