Beauty, Body Image, and Substance Abuse: How Social Media Is Creating An Unrealistic Quest For Perfection

Social media has brought many benefits to the world. It allows us to keep in touch with loved ones on the other side of the world, share our successes with our network, and even expand our network. But recently, a dark side of social media has emerged as platforms contribute to society’s unrealistic quest for perfection.

Throughout this article, we will explore how social media has, and still is, contributing to a rise in addiction issues and substance abuse by fueling unachievable trends across various industries.

The Dark Side of Social Media

What’s Real and What’s Not?

We all know that filters are used on social media. In most instances, this isn’t an issue, as filters are simply used to enhance the aesthetic appeal of images. But we also must consider the use of filters when admiring celebrities and influencers, especially when they are pushing beauty trends that have been enhanced by the use of filters.

As we enter the era of AI, we must consider this even more as images move away from being slightly filtered to being completely computer-generated. It remains to be seen how social media platforms will tackle this issue, but for the time being, consider that the model you see with perfect glowing skin may not even be a real human being.

Unrealistic Beauty Trends

This filtered, sometimes AI-generated, content can easily lead to unrealistic trends in the beauty industry, which can be extremely damaging. A leading cosmetic surgeon in Manchester has spoken of an increasing number of young people trying to replicate the appearance of reality TV stars and celebrities.

While this isn’t an issue in itself, it does highlight that more and more young people are being influenced by what they see online, and as we’ve already highlighted, digital content doesn’t always tell the full story.

The High Life Facade

Trends driven by what we see online go far beyond the beauty industry. The desire to create the impression of an overly luxurious lifestyle creates issues, too. Often, influencers want to create the facade that they are constantly on holiday, out partying, or generally living the high life. The reality is that much of this type of content is drip-fed to our timelines throughout the year. Not to mention that it may be paid for as part of a brand activation.

Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop social media users from striving for a similar type of lifestyle, which often isn’t financially achievable. It’s also worth pointing out that aiming to live a party boy/girl lifestyle can easily be the first step towards substance abuse.

The Negative Effects of Unrealistic Social Media Expectations

Mental Health Impacts

While many of the issues discussed can lead to physical issues, social media’s impact on our mental health is equally, if not more, damaging. This comes as a result of focusing on others’ lifestyles, which can easily lead us to constantly compare our own lives to the lives of others.

Given that so much of what we see is artificially manufactured, these lives that we are focusing on are often unachievable, and this can easily lead us to feel inadequate or dissatisfied with our own lives.

Physical Health Risks

There are many physical risks of trying to replicate what we see online. Trying too hard to achieve a certain body image or aesthetic trend could easily lead to extreme dieting, overexercising or dangerous cosmetic procedures.

There has been an increase in complications arising from cosmetic surgeries carried out in Turkey, as patients are more concerned with achieving certain looks than they are with medical standards.

Financial Implications

Finally, what sometimes isn’t considered is the fact that social media can be responsible for causing an unhealthy relationship with money. As already pointed out, there are many individuals trying to portray a more luxurious lifestyle than the one they are actually living.

For those trying to keep up with this unattainable life, it can quickly lead to overspending on material goods, holidays and other luxurious experiences that are purchased to impress followers.

How to Protect Yourself From Unrealistic Expectations

Limit Social Media Consumption

The obvious way to protect yourself from social media is to spend less time on the apps and platforms in question. This will reduce your exposure to harmful content. If you feel like you are spending too much time browsing social media, you may want to take a social media detox or set a certain daily time limit that you don’t exceed.

Be Selective with Who You Follow

You don’t have to come off social media completely to avoid falling for unrealistic expectations. It may simply be a case of being more cautious with who you choose to follow. As already pointed out, reality TV stars and influencers can manipulate how their lives come across to their audience. It may be better to follow those who are educational, motivational or inspirational as opposed to following people based on their wealth, appearance, or lifestyle.

Set Personal and Realistic Goals

Setting goals is a great way to keep your life on track, but don’t fall into the trap of setting goals based on the lives of others or what society expects. Set goals based on what you want from your own life, whether that’s losing weight or progressing in your career.

Embrace Natural Living

Setting goals is one thing, but you can still go wrong in how you try to achieve them. If you are heavily influenced by what you see online, you may try to achieve your goal by following the latest diet or procedure. Instead, focus on tried and tested, natural solutions such as reducing alcohol consumption, eating a balanced diet and partaking in regular exercise.

Final Thoughts

While social media can be used for good, it’s important to accept that much of what we see online these days can contribute to unrealistic standards in health, beauty, and wider industries. As a result, it’s fair to say that social media has played a part in rising levels of addiction and abuse – whether that be relating to unhealthy eating habits, dangerous procedures, harmful substances or something else.

Whether you feel social media has played a huge part in these issues or no part at all, it can be worth everyone taking a step back to analyze their own relationship with social media to avoid chasing perfection that isn’t achievable.