Beauty standards in the age of Social Media

"Remember that what you see online is just a highlight reel - it's not real life," says Samrin Hoque, an Instagram influencer. Daily, we scroll through endless pictures of perfect bodies, glowing skin, and flawless lives. It can sometimes feel inspiring, but it can leave many young people feeling like they're not good enough. Social media often talks about body positivity and self-love. But at the same time, it continues to set impossible beauty standards among youths. For many young women, the pressure to look perfect hasn't gone away; it has just changed shape.

Social media has changed the way we perceive beauty. Filters, beauty apps, and perfectly curated posts are often far from the truth.

Behind flawless skin and perfect hair online are heavy edits and touch-ups.

Young adults feel worse about their appearance after spending time on social media. Many young people compare themselves to what they see online, particularly regarding appearance.

The pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards burdens young people, leaving them feeling that they are not good enough. The distinction between reality and editing becomes blurred as time passes, and even natural beauty seems unsatisfactory.

Advice to young followers

Samrin Hasan, a rising influencer with her page 'Be Beautiful with Samrin,' has 151k followers on Facebook. She offers a heartfelt reminder to her young followers, "Everyone edits, filters, and curates what they post. It's easy to compare yourself to something that isn't real. Focus on what makes you feel like yourself. Confidence comes from within, not from ego boosts."

In the early stages of her journey, Samrin admits she often used beauty editing apps and felt the pressure to do so to keep up with the ongoing trends. As time passed, she understood how exhausting the process was and how it warped reality enough for viewers to disconnect.

Samrin acknowledges that editing isn't always wrong, but staying grounded in reality is essential. "Not everyone has clear skin, which is normal and nothing to be ashamed of," she shares.

Regarding social media's role, influencers often create pressure to always look perfect. Being honest and real is the key, believes Labiba Hasan, a Dhaka-based Instagram influencer. On sharing her authentic self, Ms Hasan says, "It comes with responsibility, and I take my job seriously. Showing my imperfections, flaws, and unfiltered moments connects more with my audience than any perfect picture."

Young Voices on Social Media and their self-image

Samrin Hoque's message resembles university students who deal with the ups and downs of social media's so-called perfect image daily. Shamsunnahar Afrin, a student at Dhaka University, shares that while she enjoys being active online, it sometimes leaves her feeling drained.

"I love using Instagram and seeing what everyone is up to," Afrin says. "But without even realising it, I start comparing myself to others. Everyone looks so perfect online, making you question whether you're good enough or doing enough."

Meanwhile, Jannatul Ferdous, a student from East-West University, discusses the more encouraging side of social media.

"The #bodypositivity movement has been very inspiring for me," Jannatul Ferdous explains. "I used to feel insecure because I didn't match the typical beauty standards. But seeing people proudly share their stretch marks, acne, and real bodies helped me accept myself. Almost like if they can appreciate themselves, so can I." She has learned to accept her real skin and textures with the help of social media movements.

Their experiences show how complicated social media can be-a place that inspires and pressures young people. Influencers who are authentic enough and feel the necessity to be responsible for the content that they create, who choose to show their real, unfiltered lives, are making a difference by creating spaces where students like Afrin and Jannat feel seen, understood, and encouraged to embrace who they are.

Where do we go from here?

We must remind ourselves that what we see online is only a fraction of someone's life. Comparing our lives with someone's curated moments is not fair.

There's much more that goes on behind the scenes that remains unveiled. We must judge ourselves more realistically against celebrities and influencers and engage healthily with social media.

More influencers like Ms Samrin and Labiba should showcase authenticity in their content, highlighting the messy, unfiltered moments that make us all humans.

Genuine body positivity is about accepting our authentic selves with all our flaws and imperfections. Social media can influence how we see ourselves, but we have the power to change how we engage with it. As Samrin shares, "Confidence comes from within, not from likes or followers." This simple reminder is all we need to understand: we are enough just as we are.

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