Growing up and becoming a productive, kind and positive individual which any person would want to be is anything but easy, and growing into loving one’s self and the body one lives in can also be quite the hectic journey. With every age group comes a new set of standards that each individual is happy with within themselves; and throughout the generations and years of this world progressing, body image has always been a concern for any gender. Now with the advancements in social media, people have started to portray their bodies in manners which may seem quite ridiculous to some people, however editing and altering one’s body may satisfy that individual to be comfortable with their body image.

    “I think bodies are overly exposed in the media. However, we should embrace some aspects of bodies in the media,” Stated Triton senior Amy Clark, “I feel like when young kids see models edited from magazines and social media it negatively influences the younger generations.”

    It has always been a generalization  that young girls spend hours on pampering themselves to impress the boy they like in school, however with help from social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and VSCO, people can now edit images so that their faces and bodies suit their standards for how they want to look. Apps such as FaceTune, Make Me Thin, and Facelab are created for people to alter their bodies on social media to make them feel more secure in their skin.

    Image editing apps may seem like  life savers, however sadly they can also cause  people to feel worse about themselves. Seeing ones original face or body in an image and then editing it to smooth skin, appear skinnier, taller and tanner, people tend to see the worst of themselves and feel insecure after seeing how much “better” they look after they are edited.

    “ It [body editing] negatively influences people’s well-being because people like the Kardashians get surgeries which gets rid of natural qualities,” Stated senior Grace McGonagle regarding how she feels about the body norms on social media this day and age, “people use makeup now to hide imperfections versus to emphasize their facial qualities.”  

    Celebrities are a fantastic example referring to how the public views body norms and what their bodies should look like. Figures such as Kim Kardashian have a huge impact on how young people feel that their bodies should look like. It has been a global phenomenon since the recent uprise in Kim Kardashian’s Instagram following that it is very appealing to look as she does by how she objectifies her body on social media. What people seem to overlook is the fact that people like her have received surgeries and spent money to satisfy themselves with how they look.

“ Girls are getting too caught up in the image of themselves and what other people think of them,” Stated senior Thomas Marshall, “I think it negatively impacts their happiness.”

For everyone no matter what gender you associate to, each body is unique and attractive in their own ways. The media may have a large impact and influence on how people feel about their bodies and presence on the media, however it is very important to try and break out of the norms of society and be true to one’s self. Seeking happiness in one’s skin may take some time, however nothing is truly better than loving one’s self and being proud to be who you are.