Social Media and Body Image

Does looking at people on social media who seem to have perfect bodies and perfect lives depress you or make you feel inadequate? If so, you are not alone. Studies indicate that the unrealistic beauty ideals promoted by social media (increasingly digitally altered to look great) are a contributing factor to negative body image and disordered eating.

Comparison is the thief of joy. – Theodore Roosevelt

What is Body Image?

Body image is the way you see yourself and feel about yourself, as well as what you believe others think and see when they look at you. It can be positive or negative and fluctuate according to environmental factors and the culture of popularity on social media.

People who have a healthy body image feel comfortable with their weight, shape, and size and are less vulnerable to being influenced by media suggestions of how they should look. On the other hand, those who have a negative body image and are unhappy with their appearance most or all of the time, are more likely to be influenced by what they see on social media and to base their self-esteem on other people’s comments or judgments.

How Social Media Influences Body Image

Research has found a correlation between time spent viewing idealized body images posted on social media and body image concerns. These studies indicate that the more time you spend scrolling through photos of peers and other appearance-related posts, the more likely you are to feel dissatisfied with your own body. This constant comparison of yourself to unrealistic standards you believe to be attainable and that make you feel pressured to look a certain way to be loved and accepted can deflate your self-confidence and lead to low self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, and potential mental health struggles.

What the Bible Says About Body Image

Your self-worth is not based on your outward appearance. Your identity was never meant to be identified by the way your body looks. You are much more than your body image or the number of followers or likes on your social media account. God’s standard of beauty is quite different from what the world would have you believe it should be, and His criteria are the only ones that count.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. – 1 Peter 3:3-4, NIV

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. – Proverbs 31:30, NIV

All of us, both male and female, have been created in the image of God. Your body is perfect just the way it is. It was created on purpose for a purpose. Celebrate who God made you to be instead of trying to replicate the shapes and looks you see on social media. Focus on your worth as an image bearer of God instead of on your perceived imperfections.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27, NIV

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. – Psalm 139:13-14, NIV

God doesn’t look at you according to the world’s standards. People may judge you by your outward appearance, but God looks at what’s in your heart. It’s the intentions within you that are what’s most important to Him.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7, NIV

He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” – Luke 16:15, NIV

God made you to be exactly as you are, a divine original created for a special purpose that only you can fulfill.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10, NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:1-2, NIV

Your body is a temple. It’s a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Take care of it well but keep your focus on how you can use it to honor God, rather than on how you can present it in a way that impresses your followers on social media.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV

Tips For Becoming a Savvier Social Media Consumer

• Be skeptical of what you see on social media. People tend to present a one-sided version of their life online. There’s a good chance that what you’re looking at has been edited and highly staged before posting to reflect only the carefully manicured version of themselves that the person wants their followers to see.
• Check out Instagram versus Reality posts which consist of two side-by-side photos of the same person. One is an airbrushed, edited, idealized version and the other is an untouched, natural shot. Seeing the contrast between them can be quite eye-opening as it exposes the false reality of the perfect-looking body image portrayed and is a good reminder not to compare yourself to others on social media.
• Change the focus of your feeds. Be selective and look for accounts that lift you up.
• Unfollow pages that encourage comparisons and that use retouched airbrushed photos to try to influence you to believe that that’s what an ideal or preferred body should look like.
• Unfollow accounts that use photoshopped bodies to promote and sell products.
• Look for sites that use fact-based information to promote healthy living.
• Find body-positive social media presences to follow who are advocates of body positivity, and whose content builds self-esteem by showing appreciation and acceptance of all body types.
• Look for sites that are focused on sharing inspiring and encouraging quotes, messages, and imagery promoting self-compassion and acceptance.
• Limit screen time and take social media breaks.

If you need additional help, please give us a call today. We would be happy to answer your questions and/or set up an appointment to discuss how we can help you manage the challenges you are facing and walk you through the healing process.