by: Jenna Kijauskas
You may be wondering what exactly is body dysmorphia or why should I care about this-I don’t have it? Body dysmorphia is a mental disorder where one obsesses over one or more flaws that they perceive in their own appearance. This disorder takes over half the population at some point without them even knowing it, and is progressively growing within our youth with more apps like Snapchat and Face Tune prevailing. We may think these masking editing apps are harmless, but with impressionable youth and a rise in the need for perfection amongst fellow social media users- the need to self perfect go from on screen to off.
The constant editing of our image that we put out to the public, whether that be with Face Tune or Snapchat filters, is distorting the way that we look at ourselves in day to day life. People are just starting to speak out and question the ideals of beauty that we set for ourselves on social media and how it is connected to body dysmorphia within these apps.
From everyday people to celebrities, people are being subjected to the harms of body dysmorphia by editing, even internet sensation Logan Paul. Paul is a YouTube blogger who posted a picture of his severely battered leg that then got picked up and was edited by FaceTune2. Instead of anyone asking Paul what happened, the Face Tune Twitter account airbrushed the picture away, along with any true concerns for Logan Paul which was shown through not only the photo, but the “Logan Paulers” comments.
Thankfully, a few sources and stars are starting to see the true harm that the airbrushing, FaceTuning, and Snapchat crazed world is bringing on. Stars like Jameela Jamil, actress from The Good Place and sufferer of body dysmorphia herself, spreads her message of how she refuses to be airbrushed or have her photos tampered with to help her with her pre-existing body dysmorphia condition as well as calling upon other celebrities to do the same.
It is time that we take a stand and take our image back without any editing, but celebrate ourselves for exactly who we are and embrace our differences in a positive manner. Let’s put an end to body dysmorphia in social media.
Body Dysmorphia & Social Media Collide 