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It's true that different cultures have different beauty standards. Most of the things listed here are Western beauty ideals. A paper by Harvard University writes: "Western beauty ideals include being thin and tall, having long hair, having light/tanned skin, having big breasts, large eyes, a small nose, and high cheekbones."
Consultant psychologist Dr. Elena Touron told Glamour that people adhere to beauty standards because they want to fit in. "When we're flooded with unrealistic images on a daily, hourly basis (as can be the case with social media), it's no doubt going to have an influence on our self-perception and how we view the world more generally."
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Unrealistic beauty standards are especially harmful to adolescents, as their brains are still in development. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt wrote for The Atlantic that teenage girls are especially vulnerable.
"The subset of studies that allow researchers to isolate social media, and Instagram in particular, show a much stronger relationship with poor mental health. The same goes for those that zoom in on girls rather than all teens. Girls who use social media heavily are about two or three times more likely to say that they are depressed than girls who use it lightly or not at all."
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On the other hand, social media can also help us shake off toxic beauty ideals. A 2021 study found that those who observed body-positive social media experienced improvements in body satisfaction.
PsychCentral writes that social media might provide inspiration and support to live healthier. Many accounts provide advice about nutrition and exercise. And online communities can act as support groups where people find empathy, understanding and encouragement.
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