(Newswire.net — December 4, 2015) — We’re surrounded by a million flawless images of Hollywood stars and fashion models. They live on our television screens, in glamour magazines and hawking products on billboards and Instagram.
For fully-grown adults, the pressure to conform to this type of beauty occasionally nags the back of our minds. But for teenagers, not looking beautiful enough is an all-singing, all-dancing weight on their shoulders, and there’s no telling what impact it will have on them in later life.
In extreme cases, those feeling uncomfortable with their appearance develop body dysmorphia, a mental condition in which the sufferer begins to harm themselves (generally by starving themselves or undergoing cosmetic surgery) in a bid to improve their appearance.
Instagram struggles
The pressures of the beauty industry are being highlighted daily, most prominently by Instagram star Essena O’Neill, who quit the social media
platform to show the pressures caused by false representations of beauty.
O’Neill deleted 2,000 images of herself on the site and changed her page name to Social Media is Not Real Life. In her final post on Instagram, O’Neill wrote, “I’ve spent the majority of my teenage life being addicted to social media, social approval, social status, and my physical appearance.
“[Social media] is contrived images and edited clips ranked against each other. It’s a system based on social approval, likes, validation, in views, success in followers. It’s perfectly orchestrated self-absorbed judgement.”
Internet stars, more commonly idolised by teenagers, can be the change teenagers wish to see (to nick a quote from Gandhi). And with an increase in the discourse regarding body issues, we can only hope that there’s an indelible impact on the mental health of the younger generation.
What parents can do
But if you’re a concerned parent, what should you do to help your child’s mental health in the face of beauty queens and unblemished stars?
For a start, don’t be worried if your teens want to remove whiteheads or grease from their faces. There are some fantastic products to help them remove spots, and they wouldn’t be the first generation to fret over them. Weren’t you busy popping zits in the mirror 20 years ago?
Secondly, don’t be worried about discussing body issues with your children. This doesn’t have to be in a preachy, nagging parent kind of way. A calm discussion concerning the toughness of teenage life is all you need. Even if they don’t initially respond to your discussions, they’ll always remember than you’ve opened the gateway to further heart-to-hearts.
Thirdly, understand that, although you can’t control what your kids see in school or online all the time, you can be a positive role model at home by refusing to conform to body norms yourself.
In a world where beauty is still an unfairly prized asset, nudging your teen away from negative influences will change their mental health for the better – they might even thank you for it later.