Filters, comments, hashtags, selfies… Faced with the multiplication of platforms and the extent of the social network phenomenon, our relationship to the body seems to be evolving. Always more connected, our silhouettes are always more scrutinized and now, these new digital means of communication influence our perception of the body.
So, to what extent do Facebook, Instagram or Snachat, these social media where appearance is at the heart of the practices have an effect on the construction of personal esteem and the image we have of ourselves?
Can our addictions to social networks be at the origin of desires for medicine and cosmetic surgery? Focus on the origin and consequences of this new beauty phenomenon among young girls influenced by the rise of social media.
Social networks : a perfect world
Social networks and new technologies are now part of the society in which young girls evolve today. These new means of communication are everywhere, but with them new trends have appeared.
Indeed, in the perfect world of these social platforms, the priority is largely given to selfies, to pretty pictures that enhance the curves of the body, to filters that allow to smooth the skin or to enlarge the eyes. However, today these social media inspire and change the body perception of young girls, since looking at themselves constantly, comparing themselves to other women with perfect bodies ends up decreasing their self-confidence and satisfaction with their own body.
*Looking like your favorite influencer
Today, the consequences are visible since the 18-34 year olds who have a complex about their image opt more for plastic surgery than the 50-60 year olds:beautiful lips, perfect curves, bouncy buttocks… they want to look like their favorite influencer’s body or even undergo the same procedure as her. Treatments for a luminous and fresh skin, solutions against cellulite or even Botox injections…
A plump mouth and a well-defined buttocks for the perfect selfie
Faced with this new influence of social networks on the criteria of beauty, there is a trend that particularly defines the new body ideals of young girls: the selfie, this self-portrait particularly popular following the explosion of Instagram and Snapchat and which, very often is accompanied by the use of filters to improve the physical appearance.
Today, more and more young women want to look like this perfect beauty put forward through these shots on social networks. A selfie generation that turns to surgery and cosmetic medicine such as injections, buttock lipofilling, but also rhinoplasty or breast lifts. The objective is to obtain a perfectly shaped mouth, a fine nose without any bumps, a generous chest and more feminine buttocks.
The effects of Snapchat
Another worrying phenomenon for doctors and cosmetic surgeons is that by using filters, young girls get used to them and alter their perception of themselves. Thus, social networks such as Snapchat : the platform at the origin of the filter trend create a society where the border between fantasy and reality disappears little by little in the minds of young people. The specialists’ observation is clear: the reference model and objective of young patients is not always a star or a supermodel but a filtered version of themselves.
The ideal of teenagers has become virtual through social networks.
