AN OPINION PIECE

By Ruby D

In the 1960s, the trend was a boyish, skinny figure - a symbol of revolution from the strict standard of femininity of the 1950s In the 1980s the trend was to be athletic and tall, but also curvy. Incidentally, this era also saw a huge anorexia upswing in women and girls In the 1990s, it was chic to be extremely gaunt and skinny, and supermodels like Kate Moss were idolized Bulimia skyrocketed From the 2010s onward, the trend is a flat stomach but an hourglass shape and voluptuous curves Think Kim Kardashian Now what are these ‘trends’? The female body. But should our bodies really be a ‘trend’? These trends may be different, but they have one thing in common: they present a consistently unattainable beauty standard for women Now, in the digital age, the pressure on girls and women to conform to trends feels more prevalent than ever

I’d like to start with the obvious example: social media In theory, social media is a beautiful melting pot of thriving communities and new, creative ideas, but, largely, in practice, it is an endless scrolling succession of beautiful women who ‘live their dreams’ and ‘effortlessly’ achieve the body that the rest of us dream of It is easy to see how this influx of seemingly perfect influencers and models being constantly shown to impressionable young women leads to a false impression of inadequacy.

It just so happens that a recent study of women showed a clear link between higher usage of Instagram and increased self-objectification and body image concerns, as well as eating disorders, indicating a breakdown in self-confidence Furthermore, social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook have a vested interest in having people scroll for longer, so use algorithms that show a user more of the content they interact with, quickly leading to users spiraling down rabbit holes of comparison, warped body image and photos that trigger an obsession with body weight I have seen too many of my female friends obsess over their weight- weighing themselves up to ten times per day- all because of social media

Now, why is this social media tirade of a perfect standard to attain maintained when it leads to such emotional pain for so many? Profit I’d like to move on to how women are exploited under modern capitalism, as unfortunately for many, along with the digitalization of beauty standards comes the digitalization of capitalism This means that companies pushing any content or advertising that includes features that are unattainable to most on social media (such as a lack of hip dips, blemishes and body hair, to shining, thick hair) is profitable, and therefore pushed to more users. The result of this? More people will pay for products that they think will solve these non-issues However, all this profits cosmetic companies, surgeons and fast fashion companies, but not users.

This begs the question: why is social media still used?

Why don’t the masses abandon their hand-held jail cells? Well, on top of validation on social media through likes and comments being highly addictive, the world is simply unfriendly to those who don’t have smartphones To many, it is unclear how integral our phones are in daily life, but they are used for tickets, transport, sending money, calling Ubers, ordering food, taking pictures, scanning QR codes, easy communications, and undoubtedly many more reasons It is unsurprising how many women and girls are exploited by these companies considering just how prevalent smartphones and therefore social media are We cannot escape.

Along with the mentioned detrimental effects of social media, there are some positive effects. I’m sure you have heard of #metoo movement where women post about their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment by powerful men on social media Perhaps you ’ ve also heard of the #HeForShe campaign, which reached over 1.2 billion people worldwide and highlighted the necessity to involve men and boys to attain gender equality for women. Social media is a powerful beast, and it can be harnessed for the good of women It can provide community, freedom, and safety for women. Furthermore, the digital age brings forth many opportunities and a huge space for empowerment in jobs. A vast ocean of free information leads to women having access to opportunities that they have not previously had, so women are gaining further independence from a patriarchal system, through entrepreneurship.

Last year, 163 million women became entrepreneurs

Along with these opportunities given by the internet social media allow businesses, cruci entrepreneurs in their audiences a themselves In the their power throu

In conclusion, wh help female innov the digital age on w the genuine conce cycle of body negativity, but it is instead the selfish, profit-motivated social media, fast-fashion and cosmetic companies that are forcing women to spiral down these dark rabbit holes. Our self-esteem should not be used as bargaining chips for companies to play with, nor should we allow them to turn us against each other in the pursuit of an unattainable ideal Mindfulness and taking time away from social media are vital – this will help us all to avoid the addiction and overuse that is all too common in the digital age. But what can we do except remember that social media is a presentation of how we want to be seen, not how we actually are? Prevention of young children from accessing social media is necessary to stop harmful standards and expectations from being so deeply ingrained Social media must make a change instead of being singularly focused on profit for the protection of our children

Thank you for reading.

Tips on managing your social media usage:

Keep apps out of sight, so they're out of mind. ...

Use apps to help you limit your time on social media. ...

Spend an hour a week on at least one screen-free hobby. ...

Enjoy a phone-free dinner. ...

Leave your phone outside the bedroom.