Introduction
With the rise of social media, adolescent females in Jamaica are increasingly struggling with low self-esteem. Every time someone compares themselves on social media to their profile pictures rather than to real people, this image typically portrays social prosperity and the most exquisite times in life. Unfortunately, many individuals overlook this truth and see these photographs as an accurate portrayal of life.
Setting increased expectations for oneself due to comparing oneself to ideals in social networks can cause problems with self-esteem. The difference between one’s true self and ideal self is widening; the ideal self appears unattainable, which lowers self-esteem and increases self-criticism. Therefore, among Jamaican teenage females, self-esteem difficulties contribute to low social abilities in youngsters and high suicide rates among teens.
Western Beauty Standards in Social Media
The promotion of Western beauty standards by social networks negatively impacts teenagers’ mental health. A woman must be petite and thin by Western standards. As a result, eating problems are widespread among teenagers in Jamaica. Because their society glorifies obese women, Jamaica has long been seen as a nation resistant to eating disorders (Harrison, 2019).
Impact of Social Media Beauty Trends on Jamaica
Eating Patterns
However, as social media sites like Instagram gained popularity, Jamaica’s society began to closely resemble American ideas of beauty. As a result, girls who were overweight and obese wished to lose weight, followed extreme and dangerous diets, used pharmaceutical weight-loss aids, and were more prone to experience suicidal thoughts (Harrison, 2019).
The fact that 38.1% of all teenage females are obese or overweight highlights the severity of the issue. It might contribute to the high risk of suicide in the general population. The study shows that 20.6% of adolescent females have attempted suicide, and 31.5% of teenage girls have considered suicide in the last year (Pan American Health Organization, 2017). Teenage females experience challenges with eating disorders, mental health, and even suicide due to their sense of imperfection and self-esteem issues.
Skin Bleaching
The issue that social media has created is not just eating problems. According to studies, young people frequently bleach their skin (Harrison, 2019). Skin bleaching is a common practice in developing nations and is sometimes classified as a form of body dysmorphic disorder. Deeply rooted psychological problems associated with low self-esteem led to skin bleaching.
Another illustration of Western beauty standards is the emphasis on skin whiteness. Children’s developing minds are badly impacted by the massive quantity of cosmetics advertising, blogger representation, and beauty-related information on social networks, which imposes beauty standards on them. Skin bleaching is thus a real issue in Jamaica.
Psychological Issues
Social networks can contribute to psychological and societal issues, including low self-esteem. Children struggle with socializing and communicating with peers because of their “unattractiveness.” Studies have shown that children’s popularity in Jamaican culture is greatly influenced by their appearance (Jacobson, 2019, p. 8).
Children who are confident in themselves can communicate with others and establish friends quickly. Children who are unhappy with their bodies are also timid and unable to fit into society. Data show that 8.0% of teenage girls report having no friends (Pan American Health Organization, 2017). More serious issues, including eating disorders, skin bleaching, and suicide, might result from a lack of social support.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Western beauty ideals are propagated via social media, which has a detrimental effect on the minds of young girls in Jamaica. Girls start to have poor self-esteem due to the attractive photographs on social media. More significant issues, such as social difficulties, eating disorders, skin bleaching, and suicide, are brought on by low self-esteem. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that social media has a negative impact on the well-being of adolescent females in Jamaica.
References
Harrison, A. N., James Bateman, C. C. B., Younger-Coleman, N. O. M., Williams, M. C., Rocke, K. D., Clato-Day Scarlett, S. C., & Chang, S. M. (2019). Disordered eating behaviours and attitudes among adolescents in a middle-income country. Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity. Web.
Jacobson, A. S., Trivers, R., & Palestis, B. G. (2019). Number of friends and self-perception among Jamaican children: the role of attractiveness and fluctuating asymmetry. Journal of Biosocial Science, 1–14. Web.
Pan American Health Organization. (2017). Jamaica adolescent and youth health country profile. Web.