Social Media and Body Image: How to Protect Your Mental Health in a Filtered World

Oh, great. Your grandma has posted a family photo on Facebook again. It shows your kiddos with their bright and beautiful smiles, your cousin and their new fiance in matching T-shirts, and you next to your spouse. Wait…do you really look like that? And you felt so good this morning when you looked in the mirror….

Welcome to the complicated relationship between social media and body image. The feeling described above is one we know all too well (myself included), thanks to the need for body perfection and the endless comparison of others. How do we defeat these feelings and restore our smiles in our profile pictures? I'm glad you asked! Come along, Foodguides fam, on a feel-good journey a little different from our usual GERD and IBS conversations. After all, your gut shouldn’t be the only one feeling good about themselves!

The Rise of Social Media and Its Influence on Body Image 

Once upon a time, we didn’t have social media. The Internet was strictly used for business communications and mathematical equations. In 1997, SixDegrees, widely considered the first social media website, was launched for public use. It had chat rooms, personal profiles, and friend lists that anyone could interact with. The site was eventually sold in 2000 due to its inability to generate revenue. By the 21st century, social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) had become a staple in everyday life.

The Cult of Perfection: Unrealistic Beauty Standards 

If you’ve ever ventured into social media, you’ll find a flood of influencers wearing the latest clothes, eating the healthiest food, and hitting the gym with complicated, intricate workouts. The common denominator? Their “perfect” bodies. Psychology Today conducted a review of the New York Post’s article about artificial intelligence (AI) and its perceived “perfect” body type based on likes by followers on social media. AI concluded the “perfect” body consists of four qualities - being thin, firm, young, and smooth. Unfortunately, this is often an unrealistic beauty standard for many people to achieve. 

Social Comparison and Negative Body Image 

Comparison between people is an unfortunate side effect of human nature. We’re constantly comparing our social situations, homes, jobs, and even our bodies to others. Social media increases our tendency to compare the more we are exposed to it. According to Dr. Patrick Byrne, “People are becoming progressively more image-obsessed, and I think that the progression of social media algorithms drives some of that.”

The Impact of Social Media on Weight Loss Trends 

What happens when we let social media affect our body image? We look for strategies to obtain the “perfect” body type. The most common way people attempt to look like their ideal image is through extreme dieting. 

Diet Culture and Quick-Fix Solutions 

Diet culture refers to a set of beliefs that promotes thinness, appearance, and shape rather than healthy living. These beliefs are usually supported by “fat talk phrases” such as “I should not be eating this,” “My thighs are huge,” “She looks fat in that dress,” and “he really needs to lose that beer belly.” Most people will turn to dieting in an effort to stop hearing these damaging words. 

These quick-fix solutions often involve unhealthy actions to lose weight fast. Several popular diets, such as the grapefruit diet, the 3-day diet, and the 5:2 diet, promise rapid weight loss in a short amount of time. Michele Geiger, RD/LD, recommends refraining from participating in any diet that promises more than 1-2 lbs of weight loss a week. She also advises avoiding diets focusing on only one food group/item and any prescribing less than 1,000 calories a day. Unhealthy dieting can lead to various health issues, including muscle, bone, fluid, and electrolyte loss. 

The Role of Influencers in Shaping Body Image and Diet Trends 

Several influencers and celebrities promote specific diets in the hope that they will inspire their audiences to achieve bodies like theirs. Gwyneth Paltrow adheres to meals consisting of bone broth and light paleo dinners; Twitter founder Jack Dorsey lives on only seven meals a week; and Kim Kardashian once used a starvation-based diet to lose 16 pounds in 21 days. These diets are not only unhealthy, but they continue to promote diet culture and the use of fat talk phrases.

The Dark Side of Social Media: Mental Health and Body Image Issues 

While social media is often affiliated with distorting our physical image, it can also fracture our mental health. Prolonged use of social media is directly linked to an increase in anxiety and depression among its users, especially young people. 

Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

Bullying was and remains a common event in most schools, but would often stop at the end of the day when a student returned home. Unfortunately, the emergence of cyberbullying ensures bullying continues outside of school as soon as someone logs on to social media. A study in 2022 by the Pew Research Center found that nearly half of U.S. teens have experienced cyberbullying, with name-calling being the most common form. Other methods of cyberbullying include spreading false rumors, receiving and sharing explicit images, physical threats, and stalking. This constant harassment takes a toll on the recipient and can lead to several disorders, including body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), bulimia, and anorexia. 

Social Media Addiction and Its Impact on Well-being 

Similar to other addictions, social media addiction can severely affect well-being. Psychologists estimate social media addiction affects 5 to 10% of the American population. Symptoms include mood changes, withdrawal from social media, conflict between friends and loved ones, and increased social media use over time. 

Strategies for Healthy Social Media Use 

How do we defeat the damaging nature of social media? Here are some tips:

Curating Your Feed: Unfollowing Negative Accounts 

Most social media websites have an amazing feature: the “unfollow” or “block” button. Don’t be afraid to use it! If an account damages your self-worth, take them off your feed! You’ll be surprised how your life can and will change. Your stress levels will decrease, your self-confidence will increase, and you may even find more time to do the things you love. 

Practicing Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

Another great way to combat negative body thoughts is to take time for yourself! Embrace mindfulness and meditation exercises to calm those distracting voices in your head that keep you from feeling confident in your own skin. Try scheduling a self-care night once a week with all of your favorite wellness activities. Foodguides’ resident Life and Health Coach Deanna Salles-Freeman has several articles that promote self-love. One of our favorites is How to Love Yourself to Health. 

Disconnecting to Reconnect: Unplugging 

Sometimes, the best way to prevent social media-related depression is to stop logging on completely. You’ll find a big, beautiful, authentic world outdoors just waiting for you to dive in. The best part? You won’t be burdened with curating the perfect caption for your photo! 

Promoting Body Positivity and Self-Acceptance 

Challenging Unrealistic Beauty Standards and Embracing Diversity and Inclusivity 

It's time to stop giving social media the power to affect our lives negatively. Strive to achieve the healthiest version of yourself, not necessarily the skinniest or the most toned. Challenge unrealistic beauty standards by posting real, unfiltered versions of you. Embrace what makes you different and encourage others to do the same! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. It’s time to show the world!

Are you ready to challenge your thoughts about social media? Normally, I’d suggest you comment about it on our social media pages, but you should take that well-deserved break! Tell us about it after you have unplugged!

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2. _{Daryanani, A. (2021). Diet culture and social media, UC San Diego Recreation, https://recreation.ucsd.edu/2021/01/diet-culture-social-media/}

3. _{Geiger, M. (2019). Your biggest dieting mistake: The quick fix, Kettering Health, https://ketteringhealth.org/hand-surgeons-top-tips-for-lawn-mower-safety/}

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5. _{Jokic, N. (2023). 10 celebrities who prove that diet culture is still alive in 2023, Buzzfeed, https://www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/10-celebrity-diet-culture-quotes}

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8. _{Vogel, E. (2022). Teens and cyberbullying, Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/} 

9. _{Widdows, H. (2023). AI confirms our unrealistic body ideals, Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/perfect-me/202305/ai-confirms-our-unrealistic-body-ideals}