Social media has been home to the body-positive movement for the past few years, which has generated both support and critique in pop-cultural discourse. The movement of body positivity is aimed at accepting one’s own body regardless of shape and other imperfections. The goal is to change the negative opinion towards people whose bodies do not meet the beauty standards imposed on many by society. Supporters of the movement are fighting for the equal rights of people in all spheres of life: social, legal, healthcare, education, interpersonal relations, and in the media. However, the question lies within the power of influencers and their goals. How do social media influencers convey the message of body positivity, and what are their main goals in this movement?
Social media has become an indispensable tool of the modern generation, with the majority of people using at least one form of social media. Since social media platforms became the main source of information consumption, society has grown to control the judgments and ideas of people. The first platform that comes to mind and has a direct impact on self-image is Instagram which is now the main spot to convey the message of body positivity.
With the struggle to achieve appraisal, many strive for perfection on the platform and in real life. Experimental studies have shown that exposure to the image of a thin, fit woman causes greater body displeasure than images of women who have a common weight (Carrotte et al., 2017). Research conducted with the help of college students showed that exposure to the image of a fit peer lowered body satisfaction and time spent exercising (Carrotte et al., 2017). As a result, distorted visions of body shapes caused many eating disorders and self-consciousness.
The main problem of distorted perceptions of Instagram content is not based solely on the changing beauty standards but on its deceiving and unhealthy parts. While decades ago, beauty standards were dictated by the mass media, including TV, commercials, and magazines, nowadays, the mass media has evolved, and the vast majority of information is gained through platforms like Instagram and their biggest bloggers. Recently the term “fitspiration” has become popular, with images and words being shared through social media “to inspire women to engage in physical activity and achieve a toned, muscular body” (Betz & Ramsey, 2017, p.19). As a result, many young women are trying to achieve the ideal they see in the pictures.
The destructive force of the fashion industry and mass media negatively impacts younger generations, who fall prey to such misleading content whose main priority is to earn money on advertisements and products. Therefore, the content posted by influencers and minor bloggers has a direct impact on the users. As a result of unhealthy beauty standards, social media has witnessed the rise of body positivity, a movement that opposes idealized concepts of the body through idealized accounts.
With the advent of influencers and their ways of bringing the attention of followers through beautiful pictures and videos, body positivity has started to gain momentum. Body positivity seeks to debunk notions about beauty standards, encourage acceptance and respect for all bodies regardless of size, shape, and features, and place more emphasis on the features and functionality of the body rather than its appearance as a whole.
While the 90s are known as the era of anorexic beauty and detrimental effects on health, the changing perceptions of the 21st century have proven to be beneficial with the help of body positivity movements. With more influencers taking part in the movement, there has been a major change in ideals and perceptions. Years ago, bloggers tended to show the artificial part of their lives, hiding their imperfections. Now many choose to support the body positivity movement and refuse to deceive their audience.
Among the ways of posting about body positivity and bringing awareness to the public is by depicting individual imperfections, which helps others embrace this not only in others but also in themselves. An American model and television presenter, Ashley Graham, regularly posts pictures of her stretchmarks and cellulite in order to encourage people to accept their bodies and view these marks not as imperfections but as the results of natural occurrences.
Another famous influencer whose impact is considerable is Grammy Award-winning singer Alicia Keys. Keys started spreading the message by starting a make-up-free movement and posting content, embracing the beauty of people of all races and shapes. Therefore, influencers do not have a specific way of conveying the message of body positivity. They are all guided by promoting the ideas of the movements without utilizing specific cliches. The reason for this is the importance of genuine emotions, which must be put into this.
The goal of influencers who post about body positivity is not to gain the benefits of popularity or advertisements but to challenge the distorted visions of bodies that are considered the beauty standards. While the fashion industry strives to dictate the norms and make people try to fit them, influencers attempt to bring awareness to the masses. As a result, despite the presence of the “thin ideal,” women now seem to be aware of other body-image messages (Betz & Ramsey, 2017, p.18). This is the way to eliminate eating disorders and the desire to reach unreal ideals.
References
Betz, D. E., & Ramsey, L. R. (2017). Should women be “All About That Bass?”: Diverse body-ideal messages and women’s body image. Body Image, 22, 18-31.
Carrotte, E. R., Prichard, I., & Lim, M. S. C. (2017). “Fitspiration” on social media: A content analysis of gendered images. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(3), 1-16.