The Role of Media in Body Shaming & 

Methods to Promote Body Positivity

“Why ain’t I pretty/why ain’t I lovely/why ain’t sexy/why am I me?” These lyrics come from the popular pop group (G) I-DLE's song ‘Allergy’ (GIDLE, 2022). These lyrics are in the voice of a girl who expresses her anxiety and low self-esteem caused by not having a great appearance or body shape. This song addresses the prevalent issue of body shaming, encouraging girls to break free from rigid beauty standards and embrace their own unique beauty. Many songs nowadays have the theme of preventing body shaming, which is widely disseminated through the medium of various public media and the impact of social media on the dissemination of information globally and within society is undeniable (Mayfield, 2011). While social media offers convenient ways to explore various beauty ideals, its pervasive influence often perpetuates unrealistic standards, such as the emphasis on extreme thinness as the epitome of beauty. In this article, I will explore the role of media, primarily through social media platforms and websites which typically features user-generated content that lends itself to engagement via likes, shares, comments, and discussion，like Facebook, YouTube, in addressing and combating body shaming while promoting body positivity refers to the movement to accept our bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities (Cherry, 2020).

Media Promoting Unrealistic Beauty Standards

Firstly, body shaming refers to the act of making negative comments about a person's physical appearance (Fitria et al., 2020). The pursuit of beauty through changing appearance has become increasingly common. For example, Korea has the highest per capita rate of plastic surgery in the world, with an estimated 1 in 3 women having undergone cosmetic surgery (Smith, 2023). The pursuit of beauty through cosmetic changes has become increasingly common. Social media as a powerful platform has had a profound impact on the popularity and demand for plastic surgery, with platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook promoting business services (Peterson, 2023). Meanwhile, the cosmetic industry utilizes its great social influence and promotional power, using the power of social media to expand business opportunities and grasp more market needs and consumer trends thus gaining more sustainable business. They invite well-known celebrities on social media platforms to shoot compelling videos and adverts as promotion and marketing. These promotional materials frequently employ extensive airbrushing and digital editing to whiten teeth, slenderize waistlines, and reduce sizes, perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards (Henriques et al., 2020). Unfortunately, to exaggerate the special effects of their products and attract more potential users, these adverts have many false and distorted aesthetic standards, such as valuing white(r) skin, thinness, or double eyelids. These distorted aesthetic standards in advertisements, which are heavily promoted by the media, can stigmatize the body and erode individuals' self-confidence, leading them to believe that their bodies will never conform to societal ideals. Additionally, passive consumption of social media including viewing other people's posts but not directly interacting with them can affect people's willingness to consider cosmetic surgery (Orben et al., 2018）. The influence of famous social media users who have undergone cosmetic surgery enhances online users' sense of identity and following, making them want to get closer to them on a parasocial level (Hermans, 2022）. Social media platforms provide content related to ideal bodies, fostering an obsession with achieving these aesthetic ideals. In social media use, individuals may overly pursue these idealized body standards to fit into society’s narrow beauty norms. Many will ignorantly follow the trend of engaging in cosmetic surgery thus avoiding body shaming, thus neglecting their true and natural beauty.

Media Facilitates Negative Comments and Evaluations

Media platforms provide individuals with greater freedom of expression and enable the free exchange of ideas, opinions, and information (Freedom of expression and media, 2022). Unfortunately, some negative statements with malicious personal attacks can also emerge as a result. In addition, media organizations in their pursuit of popularity and influence often shape public opinion in a way that forces people to follow suit without fully understanding the meaning of the words and the cause of the event. This cascading effect can lead to unconscious cyber bullying. In today's world, young people frequently share their photos on social media, seeking recognition and feedback, and these platforms act as arenas for public opinion. This is because the anonymity system of social media allows people to speak without limitations. At the same time, different aesthetic and moral perspectives in social media are compared and may even clash here, with some feeling that bashing another's appearance can enhance their ego's superiority and power, resulting in negative comments (Nawaz, 2023). This encompasses the broader concept of body shaming, which can seriously undermine an individual's self-confidence. It not only erodes the desire to share, but also changes the quality of one's life and mindset. For example, in November 2016, an 18-year-old girl in the United States named Brandy Vela tragically ended her life after suffering from malicious body shaming related to her size and weight. Her tormentors even compared her to a "fat pig" after her death (Fitria et al., 2020). This shows the seriousness of the consequences of negative comments and body shaming in social media. In recent years, with the proliferation of various platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu, social media has become a prevalent tool for body shaming (Giumetti, 2022). A 2016 girl attitude survey showed that 57% of girls aged 12-20 were humiliated online due to their physical and physical appearance (Lickteig, 2020). This shaming of the body is perpetuated and amplified through the media, causing deep emotional pain to the victims.

Ways to Improve: Media Norms of Free Speech and Behavior

To address these issues, it is important to draw boundaries for media platforms as public forums and enact relevant legislation to strengthen the management and suppression of negative online speech, such as criminal detention if there is an obvious physical attack on another person (Puluhulawa, 2021). In addition, the media can play a key role in combating body shaming by spreading anti-body shaming campaigns and using the communicative light of social media to form projects and organisations to promote healthy and natural aesthetic standards, in order to create a more civilised and harmonious online environment. For example, students at the University of Opole and University of Valencia in 2022 developed a series of scripts and produced videos, presentations to promote and teach on social media. This practice not only raises awareness of body shaming and to provide educators with attractive and research-based materials to promote body positivity (Forthem, n.d.). In contrast, the lack of media in China to publicise the serious impact of body shaming online has led to problems such as malicious comments and uncritical followers on social media platforms such as Weibo. Therefore, China should consider limiting the dissemination and distribution of harmful content on media platforms, and rationally utilise the power of the media to publicise and promote body positivity.

Media as a Platform for Promoting Healthy Aesthetics

Utilizing the characteristics of media as a medium of communication, the extensive social influence and communication ability to promote and guide healthy aesthetics standards. By using various types of media, like television, radio, newspapers, billboards, Internet and others, it affects people’s awareness of body shaming.  Social media collaborate with internet celebrities or stars with strong social influence to shoot various in-depth short films on different platforms, such as using a person who experiences online violence about body shaming and depression after posting their own photos online, to warn people of the great harm of body shaming and great harm. It is also possible to make advertisements with strong publicity and profound meanings to awaken people’s kindness and reduce the occurrence of items of body shaming. Through the powerful promotional and dissemination capabilities of social media, these positive and positive messages can definitely be better publicized and channeled.

Conclusion

In our fast-evolving technological landscape, social media has a profound influence of body shaming. Firstly, the media promotes untrue information behind the medical beauty industry to generate distorted aesthetic standards and seek profits. What’s more, the media also provides a platform for the dissemination and promotion of negative comments, leading to online conformity and bullying. Finally, untrue advertisements heavily promote their highly idealized images through the media. All of these can seriously lead to body shaming.  At the same time, the media can also regulate their free speech platforms by using the power of relevant government departments to enact laws and can also leverage influential brands and bloggers to positively articulate the diversity of aesthetics. All in all, the best aesthetic standard is that there are no standards. Each of us should do well in ourselves; always maintain a confident and positive attitude.

References

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