Aphrodite, as depicted by ancient Greeks, did not have the body of a modern day supermodel. Throughout most of history, the “ideal” female body has been depicted as curvier and plumper than most of today’s standards; the shift to idealizing skinnier body types flourished only in the 1920s, according to CNN. Now, social media makes it easier than ever to set unrealistic precedents for beauty, as airbrushing and photoshopping readily distort image subjects into something they’re not.
Media, however, isn’t the only trigger when it comes to fostering body insecurity in young people. In 2019, a U.K.
survey found that 37% of teens felt upset about their body image, according to the Mental Health Foundation. Negative body image can lead to eating disorders, as well as depression and anxiety, according to the Butterfly Foundation, an Australia-based nonprofit supporting people with eating disorders and body image concerns. For local high schoolers Tate Dillman and Maddie Joseph, who both struggle with body image, the role social media plays in influencing how they perceive themselves is subtle.
“I think it’s more subconscious,” 17-year-old Dillman, a senior with The MASTERS Program, said in a recent interview. Dillman said he doesn’t consciously react to social media posts with apprehension about his own looks, but it affects him subconsciously. Joseph, a senior in the dance department at the New Mexico School for the Arts, agrees.
“I think it affects me in a more.