Viewing and Creating Curated Images

Question: So many images girls (and boys) see on social, or in selfies they share, are manipulated to make them look more "perfect", with digital altering that can change the body, put (more) makeup on and change the face, etc. While this perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards, girls seem to enjoy looking at and creating these images. What can parents and educators do, if anything, to change this?

Answer: During adolescence, it is common for teens of all genders to have increased concerns about body image and appearance. Taking and posting selfies in and of itself is not necessarily an unhealthy behavior. The thoughts that can accompany posting selfies, however, like feeling you are being dishonest or fake, and behaviors like using filters and editing to maximize physical attractiveness, and seeking feedback from others, can lead to negative self-image and poorer well-being. Looking at online images of close friends, distant peers or celebrities and comparing oneself to these images can create feelings of body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem. Additionally, parents’ own beauty ideals and social media behavior often model and impact adolescents’ behaviors.

What Parents Can Do:

• Take an active approach to your child’s social media use, interact with social media content together and have conversations around the content.
  • Example comment: “I heard about this trend in photos, can you show me what you are seeing on Instagram?”
• Be supportive of your adolescent’s identity and body by using positive messages and have discussions about what's real and not real online.
  • Example comment: “Looking at this picture on Instagram, how do you feel when you see it? I can share a little about what I feel but would like to know your thoughts.”
• Be thoughtful about the way you talk about your own appearance within photos and how you react to others’ appearance in photos, emphasizing what our bodies allow us to do rather than how they look.
  • Example comment: “Look at this picture of us after we did that long walk in the park, we look so happy and strong!”
• Encourage social media activities that promote identity exploration, building and maintaining friendships, and expressing oneself in creative ways.
  • Example comment: “I love seeing all the ways you show different parts of your identity on your platform!”

Additional Reading for Parents:

• Family Online Safety Institute Article –  Photo-Editing Apps and Their Potential Harms for Teens
• New York Times – What Students Are Saying About How Social Media Affects Their Body Image

What Educators Can Do:

• Empower teens through education around the unrealistic appearance beauty ideals online and urge teens to be skeptical of others’ online content.
• Build in mindfulness programs around the ways in which viewing other photos and one’s own photos impacts one’s body image and mental health.

Additional Resources for Educators:

• Common Sense Media has within its Digital Citizenship Curriculum – Digital Footprint & Identity Lessons.

A Deeper Dive into the Research:

• Felig, R. N., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2023). Selfie-Evaluation: A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Selfie Behaviors and Self-Evaluations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 

Age: Adolescent

Topics: Body image, filters, digital altering, selfie

Role: Parent/Caregivers and Educators