Our world today is rapidly depending on the internet and social media platforms for information on what’s trending and what is not. Whether it’s world events or the latest mixtape that just dropped, everyone wants to know what’s going on in the world. Although this form of media can be beneficial for gaining new insight, what is not beneficial are the many outlets of influence that can affect how today’s youth feel about themselves. Advertisements and commercials found online can also impact today’s youth by stating that looking a certain way is better than looking like their current state. Advertisements and social media don not only affect the growing societal pressure on achieving the “perfect body”, but also the mental health of today’s youth.

The term body image was coined by Paul Schilder, an Austrian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher, neurologist, and author. He is most famous for his books “Brain and Personality: Studies in the Psychological Aspects of Cerebral Neuropathology Neuropsychiatric Aspects of the Motility of Schizophrenics” (1931) and the “The Image and Appearance of the Human Body” (1935). He first used this term when he was studying patients with brain damage that could produce bizarre alterations in a person’s perception on his body[1]. These patients would show symptoms of the inability to recognize parts of their own bodies or the assignment of entirely different identities to the right and left side of the body. Neurotic and schizophrenic patients frequently had unusual body feelings such as alienation from his own body, inability to distinguish the boundaries of his body, etc. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic work in early body image formulation was equally important to Paul Schilder’s theory. He compared basic body concept to identity and ego structure. Freud observed that a child’s earliest sense of identity is learning to discriminate between his own body and the outer world. Furthermore with Schilder’s theory, in 1935, Schilder published his book “The Image and Appearance of the Human Body” which he stated that interactions with other human would inadequately develop their own body image. Paul Schilder made persistent attempts to connect body image distortions of brain-damaged  patients to brain lesions (dark grey spots in the brain that do not look like brain tissue). This theory of body image has changed and evolved into what is known as today’s definition. The official definition Body Image is the perception of how a person sees and feels of their own body. There is two different types of body image that a person can experience: positive and negative. Positive body image means that you understand that how you look does not determine your self-worth. This person thinks about how they feel, not how they look. They see how they truly are. On the other hand, having a negative body image means that you feel that your body does not measure up to family, social, or media ideals. This person often feels dissatisfied, self-conscious, awkward, or shameful. Having a negative body image can cause anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, trouble concentrating, or even reclusiveness. Some solutions to solve this problem is to focus on positive qualities, skills, and talents that you can achieve. By not focusing on what you can’t do, you clear your mind of any lingering negativity about your body. In addition, you should avoid any sort of media outlet that endorses altering the way you look to become “attractive”. This will just go to waste in the long run because the latest trends are constantly changing.

The idea of what is considered the ideal look of beauty has been around for many generations. The earliest trends in the United States date back all the way from the 1800’s. Up until the 20th century, curvy, voluptuous women were considered ideally beautiful in the U.S and in Europe. 17th century painter Peter Paul Ruben was famous for his depictions of plump, sensual women. “Rubenesque” was a term used to describe a women of ideal beauty. The next trend was during the 1890s through the 1910s. Gibson Girls were a female body image archetype who were wildly popular among men. They were soft, supple, dainty women with a thin waist, large breasts, rounded shoulders, and a smooth neck. These types of women first appeared in the illustrations of Charles Dana Gibson, an American graphic artist. Lillian Russell (famous actress and singer) represented this theory of “ultimate beauty”. Gibson Girls defined the “ideal female form” of American women.[2] However during the 1920’s, the flappers were becoming the next biggest trend. Fashionable women had bob haircuts and slender, lean, feminine builds. These women often did unfeminine things such as smoke, drink, dance, drive cars, and listen to jazz music. Men’s body image were also beginning to change because gender roles were revolutionizing. During this time, women could vote, drive cars, choose who they wanted to marry, and hold jobs that were previously only for men. Men began to grow mustaches to define their masculinity because they felt as if their role in society were slowly being taken away from women. Towards the 1940s and 1950s, fuller female bodies were considered more beautiful than thinness. Marilyn Monroe was the pinnacle of attractiveness in the 1950s. In addition, pin-up girls were also gaining popularity. Pin-up girls were models or actresses whose  photos were mass-produced and meant to be “pinned up” to the wall. Photos were turned into illustrations that were highly retouched and stylized. Male artists would elongate legs, tuck in the waist, and plump up breasts (similar to photoshop). Although the ideal body may have been heavier they were still criticized and retouched. In contrast to the 50s, the 1960s through the 1990s had their ideal body image grew thinner. Twiggy was a model who popularized the rail-thin look in the 60s. Women wanted to have a slender, almost emaciated look. Curves were not as important as being rail-thin and elegantly fashionable. In the 1990s, Kate Moss glamorized “thinspiration”. 90s models exaggerated the wispy, slender look of heroin-chic. The unhealthy obsession with thinness began to develop greatly during this time. Moss even coined the phrase, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Furthermore, men continued to be under pressure to have the bodies of strong, vile, muscular providers. Different from the trends of the 60s and 90s, the 2010s show promise. Plus-sized models are gaining more popularity and support on social media hoping to change societal standards for female body types. Body positivity movements are also aiming to overturn glorifying impossible female figures and represent bodies of all shapes and sizes in the media.

Along with the revolution of female body standards, media outlets have also evolved. For instance, the pin-up girls photos used to be turned into illustrations in order to alter the way the women looked. Nowadays, modern photoshop can alter photos without having to turn them into drawings. Fashion and cosmetic advertisements are the major contributors to edit models in order to “appeal” to consumers. Ads deliberately appeal to women’s insecurities. Advertisers believe that thin models are the key to sell products successfully[3]. However this conventional theory is false because consumers are more likely to buy products that don’t make them insecure. Moreover, music is also a big contributor to body image. Themes in most songs tell girls to be thin, attractive, and appealing to men. Singers whose sexuality is not a large part of their appeal have a strong pressure to conform with popular beauty standards.This also goes along with male singers. The emphasis of thinness and sexualizztion is almost completely universal among mainstream genres. These types of manipulation techniques greatly affect the self - esteem of the youth. One study shows that 69% of girls in 5th - 12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape. In addition, a survey done by People Magazine stated that 80% of women responded that images of women in TV and in movies make them more insecure. It is certainly clear that advertisements, photos, and many other media outlets can alter the perspective of today’s youth.

Many studies and tests have proven that the media or even people around us can alter our self-esteem and the way we see ourselves. What is deeply saddening is the amount of pressure that elementary and middle school aged girls and boys feel to have the perfect body. In a study conducted by Harvard University, 40% of all 9-10 year old girls have already been on a diet. In addition, 70% of 6-12 year-olds want to be thinner. Following this, half of teenage girls and over a third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as: skipping meals, fasting, vomiting, and even laxatives.  Adults also experience dissatisfaction with their bodies as well. In a survey with women between the ages of 12-25, 90% of them have an eating disorder. However it is not just women who have eating disorders, men also have eating disorders but they are less likely  to seek any treatment for it because of the perception that they are woman’s diseases. Focusing on how our bodies look definitely causes for our society to become ill and nearly kill ourselves to achieve each of our own “body goals”. However, it is clear that women nor men have the best intentions to achieve this the safe way. We as a society should want to praise the bodies that we already have, not try to change it. Also, we shouldn’t pressure anyone into becoming something that is impossible in achieving.
Societal pressure on achieving the “perfect body” is affecting the mental and physical health of today’s youth. Even from the 1800s, women have faced the harsh precedent of achieving ultimate beauty. Advertisements and social media’s influence  only add to this growing issue. From subliminal messages in music to blunt photoshop of already dangerously thin models, how are we supposed to know what is real and what is not?  The more we depend on the media for the next ideal female/male body figure, the more anorexia and bulimia cases will rise in adults and in the youth. These harsh expectations from society only bring us more separated and less united.