The Filtered Lifestyle Of Social Media

In a world where superficial beauty is what everyone is chasing, vanity becomes the most possessed trait among people, as well as the career that we are all after. With the advent of new media technology and the expansion of social media platforms, beauty standards have taken on new forms. However, there’s a phenomenon often overlooked that is closely associated with this new filtered life.

The major issue with social media lies in the fact that we rarely post about the negative aspects of our lives. Instead, our social media accounts showcase the most beautiful and glamorous moments that we seldom experience in a world full of real-life problems. Presenting a good image of oneself has become crucial for gaining fame and attention, which feeds into our desire for validation and love.

Beauty standards have drastically changed over the years, and social media encourages women to conform to unrealistic ideals: zero-size figures, smaller hips, clear skin, hairless bodies, small and petite noses, oversized lips, and thick, straight eyebrows. These conditional beauty standards are overwhelmingly Eurocentric, demonizing features such as dark skin, curves, body fat, and blemishes, leading many to feel inferior.

So, what is this new filtered life? Filters, which originated from apps like Snapchat and Instagram, allow people to alter their appearance in various ways. For example, some filters give users rosy cheeks, contour their faces, enhance lip size, lighten skin tones, and create the illusion of long, luscious hair. This obsession with filters has led many to desire to make their real-life bodies and faces resemble these digital images. Consequently, there has been a rise in plastic surgery, particularly in countries like South Korea and the United States. People are now taking photos of their favorite celebrities to plastic surgeons, requesting that they look like them. This is a direct result of the intense pressure that social media places on individuals to meet certain beauty standards for acceptance in society.

Netizens promote a narrow definition of beauty, and those who do not fit this mold often go to extreme lengths to chase after it. They are willing to spend thousands of money on surgeries, travel to other countries for procedures, and even resort to dangerous eating habits, resulting in eating disorders. Starvation, bulimia, and anorexia are romanticized and glamorized by certain segments of the social media community, where being underweight is often celebrated, while healthy eating is seen as undesirable.

Moreover, people have begun to prefer filtered images even when communicating with friends and family, who should ideally be spaces for authentic self-expression. The need for validation has become so pronounced that many feel compelled to present only their "best selves" online.

Vanity has always been a human obsession, but social media has intensified this fixation, creating an unhealthy environment where individuals may go to extreme lengths—sometimes even risking their health—to achieve a certain appearance. They spend vast amounts on makeup and skincare products, many of which are unnecessary. New products emerge weekly, and companies profit off promoting them, often highlighting ingredients we may have never heard of but presenting them as essential to our beauty routines.

This economic relationship between social media and beauty companies thrives on promoting a standard of beauty while offering products that claim to help us attain it. The result is a participatory culture where consumers eagerly follow trends. For instance, a new product recently marketed is a spray that helps remove facial hair, further enforcing the notion that women should be hairless to be considered feminine. This is despite the fact that body hair serves natural protective functions.

Additionally, products like glycolic acid and niacinamide, which have existed for years, are suddenly sensationalized to the extent that people are willing to spend a significant portion of their salaries on them. The idea of anti-aging has also become prevalent, with society demonizing the natural aging process. Wrinkles and skin changes are normal, yet there is pressure to appear youthful, leading many women to fear aging and its implications for their self-worth.

Even pregnant women are not exempt from this scrutiny, as they face criticism for their bodies during and after pregnancy. Social media perpetuates harsh standards that can lead to a damaging cycle of insecurity.

Filters have become so commercialized that they act as masks for people before they enter the social media world. This reliance on digital alterations can lead to the pursuit of surgery and beauty products in real life. While individuals have the right to use these products and filters, it creates a harsh reality for young women and girls.

We must recognize that this trend is damaging. It's easy to dismiss the issue as simply a trend or a product; however, these societal pressures profoundly affect our self-esteem and self-image. We are taught not to embrace our natural selves, which is fundamentally wrong. Beauty is often said to be in the eye of the beholder, but social media has warped this perception.

Not everyone can or should chase after these imposed beauty standards. It is dangerous to put such pressure on ourselves, leading to unhealthy behaviors and dissatisfaction with our appearances. Makeup should be a means of enhancement, not a tool for covering up features we have been led to believe are unattractive.

Instead of succumbing to these pressures, we should strive to appreciate our natural beauty and the diversity in our appearances. Just as nature showcases a variety of forms and colors, we too are unique and beautiful in our own ways. Embracing our individual features and rejecting the notion that we must conform to a singular standard is crucial for our well-being. Ultimately, the only concern we should have is for our health, and the healthiest perspective we can adopt is to love ourselves and others as we are, regardless of aging or societal standards.

~Khansa Saleem

(Content Associate)