How photo editing and social media distorts our reality

By Megan Suchet, Copy Editor

Today, society is subjected to a constant barrage of perfected images. What was once an issue exclusively dominated by the covers and pages of magazines is now inescapable as social media platforms and programs have made it easy to retouch and filter photos. 

People edit their pictures in order for them to look ‘perfect’ but the resulting effect is destructive. Because platforms like Instagram and Facebook present highly curated versions of the people we know and the world around us, it is easy for our perspective of reality to become distorted. 

Young women are drawn to compare themselves to users posting unrealistic fabrications with Photoshop and passing them off as reality. It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others and unfortunately, many of us draw the inaccurate conclusion that we simply don’t measure up. Although this is certainly an issue in real life, retouched photos online exacerbate these insecurities by presenting images of beautiful women with ultra-thin bodies, unblemished skin and perfect hair.

At a time when social media is more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol, these airbrushed images are more pervasive than ever, and experts say the impact on our mental health is far-reaching. So why does the magic of Photoshop continue to be abused? Because the beauty industry thrives when people are dissatisfied with how they look. More and more spend millions a year on unnecessary plastic surgery and harm their bodies by becoming anorexic or bulimic, and for what? These individual feelings of being flawed or not being good enough stem from holding ourselves to impossible standards of beauty. Filtered social media only fuels this idea that beauty can only exist in these unachievable body types when the opposite is true.

There is a glimmer of hope that the tide may (very) slowly be changing. Lady Gaga has long-since been at the forefront of female empowerment, preaching self-love and body positivity. A number of A-List celebrities have followed her example, protesting the image manipulation in their own pictures. Kate Winslet was one of the first to break ground when she took action against GQ magazine for digitally altering her body to be unrealistically thin. Similarly, Zendaya reposted an image photoshopped by a magazine alongside the real picture, in all its unedited glory, back in 2015. Brad Pitt also spoke out against photoshop as he exposed all of his ‘flaws’ and wrinkles in a close up shoot for W magazine with Chuck Close, an artist famous for his raw images. However, a handful of celebrities rebelling against this practice isn’t enough—magazines need to step up and recognize the damage photo retouching causes. 

To help combat young users’ feelings of inadequacy and anxiety, the Royal Society for Public Health has called for social media platforms to place a warning on images that have been digitally manipulated.

“We really want to equip young people with the tools and the knowledge to be able to navigate social media platforms not only in a positive way but in a way that promotes good mental health,” Matt Keracher, author of a report by the Royal Society for Public Health listing Instagram as the most detrimental social networking app for young people’s mental health, added.

Though a cautionary message can’t erase the years worth of damage to self-esteem, it can begin to expose the fallacies of these ‘perfect’ women. For so long, women have internalized feelings of reduced self-confidence, growing with every swipe. Now they may not have to. 

Tik Tok has become a beacon of hope for a new age in social media as women openly share their insecurities, following trends that show off their perfectly imperfect bodies. Sienna Gomez, a teenage influencer who uses her platform to promote body positivity, capped off what could be the greatest duet chain of all time, where young women unbutton their pants to expose their natural bellies. Those who fail to see their body type portrayed in the media are gaining representation and that has a substantial impact. Just 15 seconds can help people finally accept their bodies the way they are.