Social Media allows images that are airbrushed, altered, edited, and changed without disclaiming such edits to the audience, which leads to the promotion of unrealistic body standards and ideals. Sixty eight percent of adults edit their photos in some way before sharing them, and 13% of women edit every single selfie they take. Unfortunately, the digital manipulation of images posted to social media has contributed to emotional problems, eating disorders, self-hatred, and unrealistic body expectations. In fact, spending just thirty minutes a day on Instagram, labeled by experts as the worst app for mental health, can cause women and girls to negatively fixate on their bodies. When women see images of flawless perfection on Instagram, they self-objectify and compare themselves to these so-called “perfect” women. However, they are unaware that a lot of this content has been edited using programs and apps such as filters, Photoshop, and Facetune. Therefore, they are trying to achieve something that isn’t even real, leading to disappointment, depression, and self-loathing. 

Such negative feelings about their bodies can put women’s health at risk if they decide to undergo potentially life-threatening cosmetic surgery to correct their “flaws.” For instance, Brazilian butt lifts can help women achieve the hourglass figure that is all the rage on Instagram, but this procedure can cause fatal fat embolisms. It is also crucial to consider what kind of society these images are creating for adolescent girls, 72% of whom use Instagram. Girls should feel confident in themselves and their bodies, but because unrealistic images of female bodies have become “the norm,” they are worried that they don’t measure up even though their bodies are perfectly normal and healthy. We are living in a digital age where social media has become a part of everyday life. However, we must acknowledge that increased social media use, paired with systemic sexism and idealism for women perpetuate this issue in society. Systematic sexism burdens women with the need to be beautiful. Their appearance is the only thing that they should be concerned with, but women and girls have so much more to offer than just their looks. 

For the sake of women and girls, we want to work towards dismantling the unrealistic body standards created by social media. We want Instagram to start requiring users to include disclaimers with images that have been digitally altered in any way. These disclaimers should include what software was used to edit the image, what parts of the image were edited, and how these parts differ from the original. We are hoping that if women can see that even these supposedly “perfect” influencers do not even look like the images they project, then they do not have to either. They are beautiful just the way they are. If you feel the same way, please sign this petition. We are counting on you to help us get our message out!