Girl in a Barbie World

AUTHOR: Mei Yu

WARNING: This blog contains sensitive issues including body image and mental health

This blog is not about making direct changes in the outside world, but making changes within your own mind to slowly change your own view and others’ views on body image. When you look in that mirror, what do you see? Do you see someone who is not your ideal self, with all the wrong proportions and all the wrong features? Or do you see yourself represented as something you know society will not accept?

If you have ever thought any of these things, it is important to think about why. Why do we judge ourselves so harshly? The truth is, it is inevitable. As human beings, our minds automatically compare ourselves to the unachievable expectations of the outside world. In the age of social media, ideal body images are presented to us in a rather unhealthy way. The world of marketing and advertising has also worsened this problem, especially for young teenage girls.

Due to the want of presenting your best self on social media, everyone tries to reach an

unattainable goal of looking and being perfect. However, this creates a chain reaction and they end up looking at other people’s “perfect” pictures, thinking that that is the new normal. However, since everyone wishes to seem like their best on social media, many people often digitally edit themselves to match their ideal looks. This creates such a high level of expectations in how people should look, which makes others feel like they are not good enough because they do not fit into this constructed image.

This toxic social media culture about body image and beauty is also seen in daily life. Advertisers use the ideal beauty image to play on insecurities to compel people to buy their products, reinforcing this new normal. Not only does it lower self esteem, but it also creates a feeling of self-loathing, which can cause people to make drastic changes. Some of these changes include plastic surgery and intense dieting, both of which can cause massive health risks.

The truth is, the “normal” is not normal at all. It is an unrealistic expectation designed to make us insecure. This is especially problematic for teenage girls and youth in general, as they are still very receptive to their environment. In most cases, social media is a big part of their world, meaning the content they see on social media has a big impact on their lives. As human beings, when something is presented to us, we automatically compare ourselves to it. Dissatisfaction with oneself can have detrimental effects on psychological health, more so when it is something that cannot be changed.

Plastic surgery is now becoming a more common solution when people are dissatisfied with their bodies. Women account for 92% of cosmetic surgery procedures, most likely due to having to be historically more body-conscious than men did due to misogynistic society. This systemic societal problem needs to stop because everyone is different and should not conform to one ideal just because it has been objectified by men.

In conclusion, just be you. You should never feel ashamed of who you are. The best part of being proud of who you are is that you can help make others feel strong just by watching you. This could create a domino effect and create changes in society for the better and get rid of unrealistic beauty expectations and stigmas. Remember that beauty is not an ideal, it is a mindset and it is individuality.

Written by: Mei Yu