Social media really gives us the tools to control how we appear … and that’s where the harm can come from Jasmine Fardouly, body image expert There’s a strong relationship between negative body image and the use of photo editing but Fardouly says it’s less clear which direction this correlation flows whether people’s self-esteem is lower due to the constant augmentation of their images or if those with low body images are more likely to use these features in the first place. “The research suggests that unless you show people the actual real version of that person’s appearance, it doesn’t seem to make a difference.” While the introduction of these disclaimers, both in traditional and social media, has been a key focus of policymakers, Fardouly says the research so far doesn’t suggest they work. When filters are used through TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat’s in-app software, a small label with the filter name appears on the video. “The fact that it’s harder to know that it’s a filter may potentially be worse for the promoting of those ideals.” Everybody’s faces are being made to look the exact same way. “It’s not attainable for anyone, really, because nobody looks like that. “It’s promoting a beauty ideal that’s not attainable for you,” she says. There isn’t yet a full body of research on the psychological effects of these filters but Dr Jasmine Fardouly, a body image expert from the University of New South Wales, says a study she conducted last year suggests the more unattainable the beauty standard that young people are exposed to online, the more harmful it can be … I’m almost 30! I shouldn’t feel that way … Imagine a 10-year-old using these filters. “I was in bed crying some nights about how ugly and disgusting I felt. So it felt so easier to use them, just to make me feel a little bit better … but honestly, it doesn’t even look like me. “I was getting a lot of hate,” she says, adding: “The filters on TikTok are so smooth and flawless – they don’t always look like a filter. “At that point, I was around 100kg, so it was really scary for me to have people looking at me.”Īs her video clocked up more than 1m views, abusive comments started pouring in. Mia: ‘I was in bed crying some nights about how ugly and disgusting I felt.’ Photograph: Jackson Gallagher/The Guardian
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