The world of social media has become a powerful influence on how people see themselves. The exposure to beauty filters, edited photos, unrealistic facial routine and body standards can create a distorted sense of what is “ideal” and “normal”.
Over time, this can cause body dissatisfaction and contribute to body dysmorphia, especially among young people who constantly compare themselves to people online and are obsessed with keeping up with beauty and fashion trends.
Such exposure can quietly shape how people feel about their own bodies. This can cause them to lose their identity and blur the line between realistic and unrealistic expectations.
Josephine O’Kane, an HND Television student, explores her experience with social media and how it influences her concerns about physical appearance and shares her journey towards self-acceptance and healing.
Dr Farinaz Rassekh, a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor based in England, said: “Body dysmorphia is a condition of people not feeling okay with their body because of their own conditioning.
“Everybody has been conditioned to believe that beauty is in a certain way through advertisement and media. It becomes a gossypol in your mind”.
One of way social media affects body image is through social comparison. People tend to compare themselves with others online, such as body size, clothes and makeup style.
Seeing a stream of carefully edited photos and “perfect” bodies can make anyone feel less confident and insecure, even if they previously felt okay about their appearance.
Over time, this comparison can destroy self-esteem and increase worry about how others view them. This worry can grow into body dysmorphic thoughts, where focus on a small flaw becomes a feeling of resentment toward self-worth.
A recent survey conducted in January 2026 explored questions about how social media distorts body image.
Around 54% always felt that the content on social media affected how they felt about their physical appearance.
One response said: “It makes me wish I could just change my face, body and even how I sound. I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin anymore”.
Another response said: “I never felt positive when I was at my lowest weight. I still thought I was so much bigger than other girls.”
Dr Rassekh explains: “The physicality becomes more important than self-esteem inside. With social media, people become mindless, as if the mind of social media is more important than the mind of yours.
“Social media is constantly advertising with pictures of people at certain size and certain way.
“That becomes the norm in your mind because you think that’s how you ‘should’ look.”
Editing tools and filters contribute a strong distortion of reality. A photo looks ordinary at first, but with lighting tricks, filters and digital retouching, it becomes almost unrecognisable.
In a research article, Quaba, a plastic surgery company based in Edinburgh, Scotland, recorded that: “Patients are increasingly bringing filtered selfies to plastic surgeons, hoping to achieve a digitally perfected look.
“But here’s the reality: filters create an illusion, not a reflection of real beauty.”
Influencers play a key role in shaping beauty norms. Many content highlights cosmetic procedures, rapid transformations and carefully staged 15-step morning routines with exaggerated mask and cream products.
When followers see content suggesting that happiness, confidence and success come from expensive products and dramatically changing appearance makes people feel pressured to pursue the same changes.
The “before” and “after” format hides the line between brand and personal identity, making it feel as if a person’s value is tied to appearance rather than who they are.
Dr Rassekh continues: “It’s as if the mind of social media is more important than your mind. You become nothing.”
Around 100% of respondents felt TikTok platform has influenced their body image the most.
Viewers may see these altered images as what “real” beauty should look like, which makes their own features seem less natural and unacceptable.
The gap between real life and online portrayals deepens self-criticism and a sense of failure for not living up to those edited standards.
Another factor is that cosmetic procedures have become a recent trend and the norm in today’s society. Surgeries, fillers and Botox are often glamorised and widely discussed on social media.
Aesthetic Medicine revealed a data in 2025 about consumer in dermal fillers.
The data states: “Younger Gen Z patients are showing growing interest in aesthetic procedures to address early signs of ageing such as fine lines and volume loss”.
The idea to confirm in a trend, such as having larger lips and the idea that beauty can be bought, is leading to more frequent consideration of procedures and the belief that physical appearance is the most important part of a person’s identity.
Quaba said: “It’s not just young adults who are affected. Teenagers, even pre-teens, are becoming fixated on achieving the ‘perfect’ face, sometimes before they’ve even finished developing.
“The pressure to look a certain way starts early, and social media reinforces it at eery turn.”
Around 45% of respondents in the survey often felt filters and digital image alterations on social media pressured them to change their appearance and 36% considered altering their appearance with Botox and cosmetic procedures.
Dr Rassekh said: “Young people look at their bodies, and they look at themselves and they want to become that way because if they look that way, they get more ‘attention’.
“If you don’t look like that, you feel like an outsider and excluded. These are all psychological and it happens when social media is constantly in your face.”
Many different age groups experience these pressures in several ways. Adolescents may be vulnerable because they are still developing their sense of self and are highly sensitive to peer feedback, such as comments and likes.
Young adults might feel they need to ‘brand’ themselves online, linking their social success or career.
These pressures are not only on young people, but they also affect older women too.
Middle-aged and older adults can also feel the sting of age-focused beauty standards like preventing wrinkles, sagging or certain skin texture, intensifying worries about their worth and ageing.
Dr Farinaz explains: “They’re conditioning you to believe that you should have no wrinkles and never get old. That’s why they have all these creams and makeups; people make money out of it.
“In the old days, you aged gracefully. The gracefulness has gone; nobody becomes old gracefully anymore. Everybody wants to look younger.”
The online environment can be harsh. Online bullying or negative comments about looks intensify insecurity and distress, while positive feedback tied to appearance can make people feel dependent on external validation.
Algorithms often amplify content such as a strict diet, a 20-step makeup routine or appearance-focused posts, provoking a strong emotional reaction, which can trap people in a loop of concern and comparison.
One response in the survey said: “It’s so easy to view one post promoting body confidence and the next post is about toxic diet culture.
“I found myself bouncing between loving my size and wanting to shave off a large amount of weight.”
Another response said: “As someone who doesn’t conform to regular beauty standards and weight, I feel constantly pressured to change my appearance to better match societal standards.”
This can worsen or contribute to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) symptoms. It’s not uncommon for people with BDD to also experience depression, anxiety and obsessive thoughts.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation, a UK-based charity, said: “BDD can cause extreme emotional distress, including feelings of anxiety, shame, depression and disgust.
“Even if sufferers’ concerns about their appearance aren’t noticeable to others, their distress is very real.”
Dr Rassekh continues: “People begin to have dysmorphia because they think, ‘I’m not like that. I should look like this.’
“It’s all about how you’re being conditioned to what beauty is.”
There are different individuals and communities that can take to soften the impact of social media on body distortions. It’s important to recognise and understand that photos are often staged or edited.
This can reduce the feeling and belief that there is a single “desirable” and “single” look. Encouraging diverse representations helps broaden what is seen as worthy and beautiful.
It’s important to set boundaries for screen time and give breaks. Being online constantly can make you lose the sense of reality.
Doom scrolling constantly and only listening to influencers can make you lose your identity and neglect what you love and how you would like to dress.
It’s also important to remember that you should enhance your interest and not be afraid of other people’s judgment. Everyone should and is different and it should be celebrated rather than forced to be like everyone else.
Seeking professional help is crucial if concerns about appearance are causing distress and anxiety in one’s daily life.
Treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, including techniques like exposure and response prevention, can help process and build self-confidence and dignity.
Dr Rassekh explains: “Our work as psychotherapists is making a process.
“It’s to be able to recognise and facilitate people to recognise they have their own mind and make meaning out of that. They exist without social media.
“You don’t have to be influenced by social media; it makes you weak and feel like you don’t exist.”
