Staff Writer
Many people
would argue that appearance counts in life, whether you’re looking for a job or
even auditioning for a play. For many years young girls have worried about
their hair, make-up, and/or weight daily. Statistics even show that 90% of
women want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance. Within
the last few years, social media has now made body image a 24/7 issue.
Selfies, or
pictures you take of yourself, have been a major hit with our youth in the last
couple of years. However, the effect they’re having has proven to worsen the negative
self-image issues. Clinical psychologist Lucie Hemmen says that “selfies can
damage our self-esteem because they distract us from our authentic identities
and worsen our struggle to build real relationships.” Teens are even judging
themselves based on how many ‘likes’ they get on a photo, whether it be on
Instagram or Facebook. Because it is
seen as a competition to many social media users, it really can be upsetting if
they don’t get as many ‘likes’ as someone else, or as many as they were hoping.
As crazy as it may sound, it’s true; Clinical psychologist Dr. Jessamy Hibberd
stated, “If a teenager posts a picture and it doesn’t get a certain amount of ‘likes,’
they see it as an embarrassment.”
I don’t think
we should necessarily stop taking selfies; however, I do think we need to
reevaluate the way we use them. If all we’re doing is worrying about a
picture’s online popularity, we’re only letting the pressures of the media get
to our heads. Dr. Hibberd said it himself: “Young people should not have to
seek approval from their peers but celebrate who they are inside which is far
more important.” The next time you decide to take a selfie, just remember to
use it as a way of capturing a precious moment in time.
