Keys To Protect Your Body Image From Social Networks

Surfing the web can be a minefield for self-esteem – not exactly helping to protect your body image – especially for people who do not have a positive self-concept. However, even if the bombardment of toxic information is constant, there are ways to protect your body image from social media.

It has been criticized for many years that the ideals of corporal beauty for men and women – and from which non-binary genders are excluded – are unreal, constituting a very powerful source of frustration. These standards are directly related to low self-esteem and disorders related to self-image, such as anorexia or depression.

Therefore, in this article you will be able to learn about some cognitive strategies that people with a positive image about their bodies have developed in order not to be affected by these standards. A beneficial self-image is a solid support for our mental health.

What is a positive body image?

It is said that someone has a positive body image when they accept the shape of their own body beyond the dictates of social pressures and norms. It is, therefore, a global vision / perception that the person has about their body.

Does this mean that people with a positive body image are free from social pressures? No. The strength of these people is in the cognitive strategies that favor this acceptance . We all have parts of our body that we do not like, or that we do not like very much; however, they do not limit us all – for example, they are not an obstacle to going to the pool.

Since the pressures on body image are more intense in women, most studies count for their samples with women. Next we talk about one that collects the testimonies of women who have developed strategies so that those parts that they do not like do not represent a limitation.

The study

This study, published this year in the journal Telematics and Informatics,  recruited 20 women who self-identified with a positive body image. They were asked to express all the ideas that crossed their minds when exploring an Instagram account created specifically for the study.

The results revealed a particular characteristic in these women: the protection filter. This cognitive strategy consists of selecting information in accordance with positive visions about one’s own body, at the same time that they leave in the attentional periphery that which could have a negative impact.

Keys to protect your body image from social networks

This filter turned out to be a very useful method to preserve self-esteem in the face of the bombardment of pressuring information regarding body image. The study delved into this question and discovered the different filtering strategies these women used. In the following lines you can discover them.

1. Maintain a critical attitude towards ideal beauty 

The women in the study criticized different aspects of the images they saw in the study, always related to maintaining an idealized image. Some of them were:

• The motivation for these images is usually commercial ; that is, idealized bodies are used to sell products.
• The images are modified with digital filters or the bodies with  cosmetic surgery.

• Pursuing that ideal is costly, both economically and at the level of effort – diets, excessive exercise – seeking to have an image of these characteristics steals valuable time from daily life.
• Women said that beauty could be found in any body, whatever its age, size, ethnicity, and so on.

2. Focus on appreciating aspects of the body

Finding unique aspects of your own body that you could appreciate and value was another key point. The participants also stressed that these details were more important than physical appearance.

On the other hand, their attitude to the image of the models they saw on Instagram was also positive, taking their physical beauty from a constructive perspective. For example, take it as a reference when taking care of your health through food or get ideas for hairstyles or accessories. In this way they could be sensitive to the image of others without comparing themselves to them.

3. Focus on the personality and values ​​of the models

Investigating non-physical aspects of the models also helped focus attention on the positive approach to the body. By building a network of attributes for the physically attractive person, they are humanized and the appearance of their body loses relevance when making a judgment or comparison.

4. Reaffirmation of the change

Building a positive bodily self-image is a conscious and effortful process along the way. Typically, people who have reached this point of inner peace come from a negative past and a decision to change their thinking.

When looking at the aesthetically idealized images, the participants reported seeing a reminder of their past, in which they felt bad about their body image. Therefore, when they faced that social pressure again and were able to maintain a positive attitude, they became aware of the change they had achieved in themselves.

Final reflection

The subject of body image has been under study for many years, especially with the arrival of social networks. The value of appreciating one’s own body and protecting one’s self-esteem from the tide of social pressure that comes from the internet is not only individual: creating support networks and safe environments for those who are still affected is an indispensable factor in overcoming this problem.