Plastic Surgery Photoshop

Sophee Sanderson @socialsophee

When Instagram was first released in 2010 and it gained popularity, my friends and I were quick to download it to see what the hype was about. Of course we thought it was the coolest app ever! It was new and hip and people were still learning how to use it. Our feeds were filled with silly pictures of our friends, pets, food and funny memes; it was a simpler time for social media.

When I log onto Instagram now, it doesn't take long before I close the app. My feed is overflowing with ads, suggested posts and video reels. Now my explore page is filled with influencers and people I don't know. Where are my friends?!

Of course it is expected that apps will come out with new and improved looks and features, but Instagram's whole vibe has changed over the years. The nature of Instagram used to be playful and authentic, now it feels like you have to post the perfect picture. So, who is to blame?

A lot of people place fault on celebrities and models for the way they present themselves online. They have not only changed the Instagram game, but they have become trendsetters in promoting unrealistic body images and beauty standards online through extreme photoshop and editing tools.

I'm not talking about just throwing a filter onto a picture-- because we all do that. I'm talking about going to great lengths to photoshop, airbrush and edit one's body and face. Photoshop isn't just about enhancing the quality of a picture, it is used to completely distort a woman's body into something it's not, which sends negative and deceitful ideas regarding beauty standards.

"These types of photos lead us to believe that beauty can only exist in an unachievable body type...it teaches us that it's appropriate to try to hide our flaws at all costs instead of embracing them."

I was 10 when Instagram first came out, but 10-year-olds who have Instagram now are exposed to so much more than just pictures of friends and innocent posts. When they open Instagram, their feeds are filled with celebrities, models and influencers who have the "perfect body, perfect face and perfect life." Sure, I see this stuff on my page and it gets me down sometimes too, but unlike younger generations, I know that most of it is fake.

In a 2016 study on the effect of manipulated Instagram photos on body image in girls, researchers conducted an online survey to confirm the negative impact that it has on adolescents. 

Results proved that adolescent girls are often found to be particularly vulnerable for being influenced by media images, especially during psychosocial development. These results also suggested that the common practice of Instagram users to manipulate and tweak their appearance in pictures can have negative consequences and can be detrimental to one's mental health. There is a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms, anxiety, lower self-esteem, social isolation, lower life-satisfaction, poor sleep quality, disordered eating and higher body image dissatisfaction.

People have become so obsessed with their looks and how they appear online that they will go to great lengths to alter their reality, even if it means promoting an unrealistic beauty standard. 

Celebrities and influencers should think about the detrimental impact they have on young girls when they post their airbrushed and photoshopped "perfect pictures." Or else, they will continue to instill the belief that they will never be enough.