Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In recent years, the rapid expansion of modern social media platforms has profoundly reshaped how individuals perceive and evaluate physical appearance. This paper examines the influence of social media on womens appearance anxiety, defined as persistent worry or dissatisfaction about ones physical appearance, often linked to psychological distress. The research aims to investigate how digital environments contribute to heightened beauty-related concerns and the underlying mechanisms that exacerbate these anxieties. Using a combined approach of literature analysis and case study examination, the paper synthesizes existing empirical evidence and analyzes real-world examples from widely used platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. The findings reveal that the highly visual nature of social media, coupled with algorithm-driven content distribution, intensifies exposure to idealized beauty standards and promotes continuous comparison with peers. This contributes to the increased self-awareness and bodily image insecurity women experience. Recommendations incorporate media literacy education, regulation on platform design, and the promotion of campaigns to product diversity and authentic representations of beauty.
Author: Qian Xu
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Gender equality
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4414244516
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