Enough(?) – How Societal Beauty Standards Negatively Affect Young Girls and Women
Enough(?) is a social media series consisting of three short films. The series discusses issues of the social pressure of beauty that society impose upon women from a young age. The films also illustrate the battle women face with themselves to “fit in” and “be beautiful”.
The persuasive influence of societal beauty standards, which are promoted by different media platforms and cultural norms, have a profound impact on the self-perception and aspirations of young girls and women. From the harmful effects of the male gaze in media to the constant pressure imposed by social media algorithms and beauty ideals, conforming to unrealistic standards can have a detrimental effect on mental health and well-being.
In the films, we see how they battle within themselves with constant voices of disapproval. The films also illustrate how much of these hyper-unrealistic standards stem from social media and the overwhelming amount of impressions demanding women to look a certain way, creating a subconscious feeling of need to look this way. However, what is shared on social media is not always real or a realistic portrayal of what people and specifically women look like. Content on social media is often posed, altered or digitally modified to fit these standards. Feeding more into the utter impossibility of looking like these standards. Yet creating the pressure that we have to.
This vicious cycle often leads to digitized dysmorphia, a term used to describe the psychological impact of digital tools like filters and editing on how we see ourselves. It’s an extension of body dysmorphia, where people obsess over imagined flaws in their appearance. With digital technology, it’s easy to tweak our bodies before sharing them online, leading to a warped self-image. The term highlights how these digital alterations can interfere with our self-esteem and mental health.
“This vicious cycle often leads to digitized dysmorphia, a term used to describe the psychological impact of digital tools like filters and editing on how we see ourselves.”
Leading up to this project I hosted a workshop and was in multiple conversations with women who are active on social media, to get their perspective on how this issue is affecting them and what kind of change they would like to see. After collaborating with these women I realized that change would not be created by me telling them to “love themselves”. This had been tried and tested and never really seemed to have much of an impact, as it still puts the focus on women’s appearances and having to be beautiful. The collaborators said that they did not wanna be told what to think and feel but needed to feel like they were not alone in their struggles and given the resources to do so themselves. Therefore, by highlighting the negative effects of beauty ideals and promoting a call for action through visual communication, I hope to encourage critical dialogue and advocacy for change. Hoping to light a spark in empowering women to go on their journeys of self-acceptance and self-love.
After researching and being in conversations with women I realized that the issue is much larger than I initially thought and saw such a stark contrast between the data of body issues between men and women. And I began to question why.
“Change would not be created by me telling them to “love themselves” (…) it still puts the focus on women’s appearances and having to be beautiful.”
The internalization of hyper-ideals and objectification theory
The process of internalization is a psychosocial process that involves taking external elements and integrating them into our identity. These elements can be ideas, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, approaches, or beauty ideals. Unfortunately, young girls are at an increased risk of internalizing harmful beauty ideals that are unattainable. Studies show that many girls feel pressured to wear makeup and that this pressure often comes from themselves.1
It is a complex issue to address, the pressure that young girls feel to live up to beauty ideals that are widely reproduced and normalized. The fact that these hyper-ideals are so prevalent leads girls to primarily attribute the pressure to themselves. This further complicates the question of how to break free from these ideals and the harm they cause.
“Women’s appearance is chronically observed by other people, and over time they internalize that perspective. They become the observer of themselves.”
The results from the previous study1 show a connection with Objectification Theory.2 This is a theory coined in 1997 by Fredrickson and Roberts that provides a framework that helps in understanding the experience of being a female in a culture that sexually objectifies the female body. This theory suggests that girls and women are more likely than boys and men to internalize an observer’s perspective as their primary view of their physical selves. This perspective is known as self-objectification, which leads to girls and women habitually monitoring their bodies’ outward appearance. This, in turn, results in increased feelings of shame, anxiety, and disgust toward the self, reduces opportunities for a motivational and confident state and diminishes the awareness of internal bodily states. All these experiences contribute to a variety of mental health risks that disproportionately affect women, such as depression, eating disorders, and sexual dysfunction.
Women’s appearance is chronically observed by other people, and over time they internalize that perspective. They become the observer of themselves. Instead of moving around, and looking out at the world, they spend all of that time imagining how they look like to the world.
“Instead of moving around, and looking out at the world, they spend all of that time imagining how they look like to the world.”
Moving forward, we must continue to challenge harmful narratives surrounding beauty, promote self-acceptance, and advocate for inclusive representations that celebrate diversity and individuality. By amplifying voices, promoting self-acceptance, and advocating for systemic change, we can strive towards a society where young girls and women are empowered to embrace their uniqueness and pursue their dreams, free from the constraints of narrow beauty standards. This project serves as a testament to our collective commitment to nurturing a culture of empowerment and acceptance for generations to come.
References
- Tjejzonen (2024) Hyperidealen 2024, En rapport om skönhetsidealens effekt på unga tjejer. Stockholm: Tjejzonen. (Accessed: 08 April 2024).
- ibid.
- Fredrickson, B.L. and Roberts, T.-A. (1997) ‘Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks’, Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), pp. 173–206. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.x.
- TEDx Talks (ed.) (2024) The beauty game | Renee Engeln | TEDxNorthwesternU, YouTube. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-cZWCP3zQQ (Accessed: 22 April 2024).
