Social media has a great presence in many people’s lives but is it always positive? I was around 12 years old when Instagram first launched. It was a fun and carefree platform to post funny pictures of you and your friends.
In fact, there was a tradition where your friends would find the goofiest and most embarrassing photos of you and post them on your birthday. It was a bit dreadful, but the difference between now and then was zero pressure to always look perfect on social media and zero filtering to change the shape of physical attributes. Nowadays, when it’s someone’s birthday, it’s an opportunity to post the best, most flawless photos of yourself with that friend.
According to the article “Distribution of Instagram users worldwide as of January 2022, by Gender,” by S. Dixon, 49.3% of women had Instagram accounts in 2022. And the most common age range for women globally who use Instagram is between 18 and 34 years old (Dixon, 2022).
The Impact of Filtered Posts on Young Women
The pressure for women to present the perfect image of themselves on Instagram often results in them using filters to alter their appearance.
A study led by The Dove Self-Esteem Project found that “…80% of girls have downloaded a filter or used an app to change the way they look in photos by age 13” (“Do You Use a Filter Every Time You Post?”, n.d).
I had a situation once where my friend and I were taking pictures by the ocean. I had my friend smooth a crease on my stomach and make my waist appear smaller. Once the image was posted, the same thought ran through my mind every time I looked at it: “That’s not my body.” Yet I felt influenced to edit my appearance because so many women and female celebrities do it. If they do it, why shouldn’t I? It seemed like it was okay.
In a 2021 study of 175 females ages 18 to 30, City University of London researchers discovered that when asked if they have ever used filters on their photos, 90% said they have.
(“Do You Use a Filter Every Time You Post?”, n.d).
The most common reasons women use filters are to whiten teeth, even skin tone, reshape their nose, and create fuller lips (“Do You Use a Filter Every Time You Post?”, n.d). While the end result seems beautiful. The images are not authentic. Beauty standards based on false images can have long-term adverse effects on the mental health of young teenage girls. Consistently editing images of yourself while viewing other girls’ photos depicted perfectly on social media causes anxiety and depression and can lead to eating disorders (Bhattacharya & Walsh, 2019).
Besides beauty standards putting pressure on women for decades, why are women so influenced to change their physical attributes on social media? I believe much of this influence stems from female celebrities and how they are portrayed in the media. While they are often the cause, they can also be the solution. They have the power to positively change how women view themselves physically.
How Female Celebrities Could Change How Women and Girls View Themselves on Instagram
Young girls often look up to female celebrities and imitate what they see—how they look, dress, etc. It’s not healthy when women view female celebrities as flawless when in reality, they could be using filters to appear that way.
Not all, but many celebrities soften their skin texture to make it look flawless, and for many, they give the image of a perfect life with a perfect body on Instagram. It can make many women feel insecure. It has definitely made me feel bad about my physical appearance in the past.
In a 2018 interview with Gigi Hadid and Blake Lively, they admit that celebrities’ photos are being edited on social media. Lively states, “99.9 percent of the time the images are Photoshopped. I’m guilty myself of being at a photo shoot and saying, ‘That looks terrible on me.’ And they’re like, ‘We’ll fix it.'”
(Bruner, 2018)
Ultimately, female celebrities know they’re editing their posts, and if it’s not them, it’s their agent or photographer editing the photo. This behavior is directly influencing young and older women to also edit themselves.
Female celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, and Jennifer Lopez have some of the biggest followings on Instagram. For example, Kylie Jenner has 375 million followers. Of the 375 million followers, 75% are female (The Social Flame, 2022). The highest percentage of age groups following Kylie Jenner is 47% between the ages of 14 and 20 (The Social Flame, 2022).
Since these female celebrities have such huge followings, I feel their voice could change the way photoshopping and body image is portrayed on social media. My wish is for female celebrities to have a positive impact by producing natural content and changing body image online.
If women and girls could see female celebrities with real skin texture, no makeup, and real physical features, I truly feel body image could have a breakthrough on Instagram because it could present realistic attributes rather than images that are photoshopped. Someone as huge on social media as Kylie Jenner could promote unedited posts, and I can’t help but think that females could be released from the imprisonment they feel with body image. That is my ultimate wish for women and girls globally.
LiveYourDream.org’s goal also aligns with wanting women and girls to feel empowered and comfortable with themselves.
The Dream It, Be It Program
In addition to helping teen girls set future career goals, Dream It, Be It equips girls with resources to face challenges such as low self-esteem and stress, which are often exacerbated by social media pressure. Girls learn about topics like self-care, stress management, how to handle peer pressure, how to set SMART goals, and how to move forward after setbacks. They also meet local women who serve as role models and share their career experiences to inspire the girls to dream big.
Since 2015, the Dream It, Be It program has reached more than 98,000 girls, and 88% say they feel more confident about their future success. In 2017, Dream It, Be It received ‘The Power of A Awards’ from the American Society of Association Executives, recognizing its outstanding innovation, efficacy, and positive impact.
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You can help us reach more girls who will benefit immensely from our Dream It, Be It program.
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On the cusp of adulthood, adolescent girls still need lots of love, reassurance, and positive examples. Together, we can see that they get the support they need.
Carlie Olenick is a college student studying English at Howard Community College in Maryland. Carlie hopes to transfer to a four-year university in the fall of 2023 to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in English language, literature, and general.