Positive ISSUES
BODY CONFIDENCE
Increase in demand for surgery to look like filtered selfies Researchers reveal the impact of social media filters on our self-esteem and body image
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worrying statistic from researchers at Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts, reveals that 55% of surgeons report seeing patients who want surgery to improve their selfies. Doctors reported that in the past, photos of celebrities were commonplace in the plastic surgery consultation room, but now it’s more likely for a patient to whip out a filtered selfie of themselves. This trend has been dubbed “Snapchat dysmorphia” by surgeons. “This is an alarming trend because those filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for these patients,” say researchers in a JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery Viewpoint article. Discussing the effect filtered images can have on self-esteem, researchers explain how they can “make one feel inadequate for
not looking a certain way in the real world, and may even act as a trigger and lead to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)”. BDD causes sufferers to feel they have some sort of “flaw” in their appearance, and become consumed with anxiety surrounding it. This can lead sufferers to avoid social interaction and engage in repetitive behaviours such as checking themselves in the mirror or skin picking. For some, plastic surgery seems like the only solution. The researchers say surgery is not the right course of treatment in these instances, explaining that surgery can exacerbate the problem. Instead, they recommend psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy, and for clinicians to approach the patient with empathy. Visit counselling-directory.org.uk to find out more about counselling for BDD. Kat Nicholls
An artful solution: life drawing Artists including Alastair Adams, the former president of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, say life drawing could help those disillusioned by social media filtered selfies. Speaking to The Telegraph, Alastair said: “I would urge people to get involved in life drawing, which has the benefit of allowing people to question what the ‘ideal’ body is.” Simon Whittle, president of the Hesketh Hubbard Art Society agrees with Adams. “Life drawing is an opportunity to study the human form, folds, blemishes and all – and look with your own two eyes in the flesh, not wondering if the image you’re obsessing over has been photoshopped. “I think it’s also crucial for us to remember that with people on social media it’s not just their physical appearance that they make out to be perfect, it’s their life – and that isn’t always the case.”
October 2018 • happiful • 9
