Constant exposure about what is the ideal body type on social media can affect students’ image of themselves by forcing them to compare themselves to unrealistic standards.
One woman who has struggled with this is Danielle Teixeira, a 21-year-old from Georgetown.
“Someone that looks perfect could be working constantly to achieve the look, while another could achieve it in five minutes with the use of Photoshop,” Teixeira said.
In addition, Photoshop and filters are readily available to users, contributing to creating unrealistic body images. This can lead to lowered self-esteem, poor diet, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as possible eating disorders.
In a study released in March 2021, Statistics Canada found up to 14 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 64 felt anxious, depressed, or envious of others’ lives as a result of social media use.
The study showed this is more common among Canadians aged 15 to 34.
“I almost killed myself because of my body image and because of my obesity, addictions, and alcoholism, so for me, it was a matter of life and death,” said body image coach and author Laura Fenamore.
Individuals dealing with body image issues or eating disorders have many different options for getting help. One of the many organizations and helplines available is Jessie’s Legacy.
“We started this non-profit organization called Jessie’s Legacy under the name of a woman named Jessie Alexander who passed away from an eating disorder due to suicide,” Elvira Chan, with Jessie’s Legacy, told Humber News.
“Her parents ended up beginning this organization as a way to fulfil her last wish, which was to prevent eating disorders and to provide education and resources to the public,” Chan said.
Organizations such as Jessie’s Legacy are available to youth, families, educators, and professionals so they can gain eating disorder prevention education, resources, and support.
“I know for me, if I didn’t get help and had a second chance, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” Fenamore said.
Her struggle with her body image prompted her to write her book, Skinny Fat Perfect. a guide to restoring self-love and being content with their body regardless of size or age.
Although social media can have a lot of negative impacts on body image, it can also positively influence body image in a variety of ways.
It’s becoming more common to post natural photos on social media to spread body positivity and for Teixeira, it was a way to reinforce reality over make-believe.
“I started posting pictures of my unedited body because I was tired of looking at perfect model-like images and wanted to show others that photoshopped photos aren’t the norm,” Teixeira said.