The focus of my research was about body editor applications and the risks posed by an unrealistic media-ideal for female bodies in western culture, in which I created this website that I titled “Unreal Media Ideal” as my multimodal project to present my research. 

Starting at the home page, I’ll begin by briefly explaining what I mean by unreal media ideal, using this section to help explain what it is that I am researching into.

          Historically and currently, media messages compel women to fit the mold of Western beauty that idealizes thinness, and it is nearly impossible for women to resist or ignore the unrealistic body proportions that are valued in media and society. 

          There are various unhealthy ways thinness can manifest, but the quickest way for a woman or girl to “fix” her physical appearance for peers to see on social media is to edit herself through body editor applications. 

          The media [ideal] objectifies and sexualizes female bodies while setting standards of thinness, and by using body editor applications, these issues are perpetuated and can eventually form into health issues or other various negative effects. 

         The ‘About’ section is an extended explanation into what is problematic about the media ideal regarding body editor apps and how it fuels weight stigma and the promotion of thinness by both using it and seeing it being used. 

         Advertisements for these applications encourage thinness and provide a way to accentuate sexual areas of our bodies as well – and as you can see, there are no men in these advertisements, because these app creators knew that their target audience and the people who would be using their apps the most were women due to existing body standards and the media-ideal.  

          It can be hard to decipher between what is real and what is edited, and to prove this, I have created a game within my website to test your eyes on whether they can truly recognize an edited picture from a real picture. 

          The point of this game is to acknowledge that it is sometimes impossible to see the difference between reality and the distorted reality created by photo editing. It is important to recognize what natural bodies look like and that everything is not always what it seems online. 

          The historical weight of structural sexism is ingrained in the media, and media messages have made it apparent that (1) a woman’s most valuable asset is her body, and (2) women should feel compelled to fit the mold of Western beauty that idealizes thinness. 

          Such media messages shape how we think and feel about our bodies, causing many women and girls to self-objectify and sexualize their bodies to fit the media ideal.  

          Effects of the media ideal and body editor apps can create a variety of health issues and problems, including body dissatisfaction, self-objectification, body dysmorphia, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-esteem issues, and body shame, among others, and below are some illustrations to depict these resulting health issues. 

          The media ideal and media messages perpetuated by body editor apps have already done much damage to women of all ages, many of which have already developed health issues as result. 

          Social media has allowed for people to post pictures that look far different from their realities and has managed to shape how we view ourselves and how we take care of ourselves, because eventually, superficially photo editing your body isn’t satisfactory enough and other measures are taken.

          That is why I offer a variety of programs to provide some resolve and aid to those currently struggling. 

Including:

• The Body Positive Institute: Training and treatment for body positivity 

• Better Help: affordable, private therapy

• NEDA The Body Project: eating disorder prevention and early intervention program

• EQUIP Eating Disorder Treatment: with a dedicated, virtual, 5-person care team

• Eating Recovery Center: Virtual intensive outpatient treatment

• Body positive programs: eating disorder information, education, and prevention 

• Begin Again Institute: programs aim to stop the sexual objectification of women; treatment for men and women to recognize the sexual objectification of women

 

           I also made and included a petition in my project to acknowledge the importance of informing viewers of edited pictures to encourage authenticity, and if such changes aren’t made then the petition is in place to propose a ban on the body editor applications that encourage such unrealistic standards. 

          Social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and it isn’t all bad or negative, but the goal is to make it a safer space to interact with others without resulting in health issues. There is also a forum I have included in my project for viewers to engage with others on similar topics, in which I was hoping this section can serve as a source of unity and togetherness.