Photo editing: enhancing social media images to reflect appearance ideals

Abstract

Key points The majority of images people are exposed to in the mass media have been digitally altered to reflect enhanced western beauty ideals  Exposure to heavily edited media images can lead to a number of appearance concerns, such as body dissatisfaction, low social self-esteem and body image-related anxiety  Many individuals are now editing their own images to reflect appearance ideals before sharing them on social media  Being exposed to idealised images of one's peers on social media might be worse for an individual's body image than exposure to figures in the mass media. This could be because there is more pressure to fit in socially with peers, and their appearance may be perceived as more real and achievable AbstractPeople are now becoming increasingly aware of the extent to which most mass media images are edited to reflect enhanced western beauty ideals. Although the negative impact these unachievable appearance standards can have on wellbeing is recognised, and there have been attempts to reduce people's exposure to them, there is now a more complex problem at hand. Photo-editing software is now available to almost anyone, and many social media users have begun to alter their own images to reflect these desirable beauty ideals. For this reason, health professionals need to be aware of the prevalence of photo editing, and the potential negative effects of exposure to idealised images of peers on social media.

Does taking selfies lead to increased desire to undergo cosmetic surgery

“…Editing an image before upload can lead to increased body dissatisfaction, low self‐esteem, and body‐image related anxiety . Also, internalization of thin ideals in female can contribute toward unhealthy diet and exercise behaviors and can ultimately lead to eating disorders .…”

“…Also, internalization of thin ideals in female can contribute toward unhealthy diet and exercise behaviors and can ultimately lead to eating disorders . These unrealistic expectations built up by photograph editing apps can lead to dissatisfaction of appearance when they are not achieved in reality …”