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The Influence of Instagram on Self-Perception

Prakriti Sharma

Remedial Blog for Mid-Term

The 21st-century surge in social media connectivity has given way to a new platform for mental health issues. This article will explore the effects of Instagram ‘models’ and ‘celebrities’ on the ideas of body-image and self-worth. While it has become common to assume that all published images will have some amount of touch-up and work done on them, the direct impact this has on social consciousness and expectations is a dangerously neglected consideration. 

Instagram is increasingly becoming the ‘it’ social media network, slowly surpassing Facebook as the platform for younger users. A lot of children start using Instagram from as young as 12 years of age. This kind of exposure at such an early age means that the content posted on Instagram will have an instrumental effect on the personality development of its users. This becomes problematic when one realizes that most of the photos posted on Instagram - especially that of the more influential accounts/users - are heavily altered. 

Kim Kardashian
Source: r/InstagramReality on Reddit

What’s more is that once one starts seeing naturally-beautiful women alter themselves in their posts, one starts to cement these kinds of beauty standards. The fact that so many users use FaceTune or Photoshop (frequently used photo-editing apps) further propagates the supposed need for a better, thinner, slimmer ‘ideal type’. 

An Instagram Model; The photo on the left is one she was tagged in, the one on the right is her own post
Source: r/InstagramReality on Reddit

This can have lasting consequences, not just for the viewers of the photo, but for the poster themselves. TV actress Jameela Jamil, part of the BBC 100 Women, commented on the issue of airbrushing and filter-usage on social media:

"If you see a digitally "enhanced" picture of yourself, you run the risk of becoming acclimatized to that level of flawlessness and it makes it harder for you to accept your actual image - the one that exists in real life, in the mirror." - Jameela Jamil, BBC Interview

Jamil’s explanation very simply highlights all the consequences of this pervasive problem. While every user, at some level, may acknowledge that what people post on Instagram does not translate to their real life, the consistent exposure to the ‘ideal’ has the opposite effects on their psyche. Several studies have suggested that this increased exposure to ‘perfect’ bodies have led to an increase in demand for cosmetic and other kinds of non-invasive surgery (BAAPS). Valeria Lukyanova - also known as Human Barbie – happens to share a similar perspective.

"Remember how many beautiful women there were in the 1950s and 1960s, without any surgery? And now, thanks to degeneration, we have this. " - Valeria Lukyanova, GQ Interview

 The unacceptance of our own flawed bodies and faces is leading to a generation of unhappy, dissatisfied individuals. Not to mention, there have been reports on Instagram promoting a culture of comparison and fueling people who are prone to eating disorders. 

An Instagram Model; image on the left is her at an event, the image on the right is her own post in Instagram
Source: r/InstagramReality on Reddit

What appears to really be happening is that the platform that has increased self-expression and enabled the assertion of one’s own individuality has also, simultaneously, given way to an oppressive structure. One person’s insecurities are now on display for the whole world to see, and so, even individuals who may not need modifications to their faces or bodies are forced to succumb to digital (and sometimes even real-life) enhancements. The struggle to have perfect features has drastically increased. The sad part is, no one will ever really believe they have reached the ideal. Thin will never be thin enough, curvy will never be curvy enough. At least not enough to reject the need for further invasive enhancements. 

The lack of self-esteem in the current generation and, perhaps, the generations to come can be highly accredited to platforms like Instagram. It has become the place where people try to portray the best version of their fake selves, hoping to receive validation from their followers and boost their own self-esteem.  However, as explained, this validation comes at the price of the audience and the audience’s own self-esteem, creating a vicious circle that is immensely hard to break off from: if everyone else is doing it anyway, why shouldn’t you?

References

Idov, M. (2017, July 12). Meet the Human Barbie. Retrieved from https://www.gq.com/story/valeria-lukyanova-human-barbie-doll

SUPER CUTS ‘Daddy Makeovers’ and Celeb Confessions: Cosmetic Surgery Procedures Soar in Britain. (2016, February 8). Retrieved from https://baaps.org.uk/about/news/38/super_cuts_daddy_makeovers_and_celeb_confessions_cosmetic_surgery_procedures_soar_in_britain

Viewpoint: Jameela Jamil on why airbrushing should be illegal. (2018, December 02). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-46349307
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