Running Head: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINES SOCIETAL NORMS

How Has Social Media Contributed to Defining Societal Norms for Women Around the
World?
Chelsea Schmidt
Global Studies and World Languages Academy
Tallwood High School

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINES SOCIETAL NORMS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract

Introduction

Limitations

Methodology

Literature Review

Body

12

Conclusion

17

References

19

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Abstract
Todays population has fallen subject to new societal norms based on social media and
whats acceptable. Millions of users are using social network platforms to share information and
pictures. With new apps and Photoshop, images are easily altered and its influencing women to
want to become something that isnt even real.
Globalization has been spreading western ideals to different areas throughout the world,
bringing standards and certain perfections that never existed before social media. Cultures that
once shed light on having a full figured body and a curvy weight now suppress themselves of
foods that they once used to eat to fit into the ideal body size. Countries like Lebanon, India, and
Japan have gotten ahold of western images through media and advertisements and are now
changing their ideals and standards to fit what is acceptable in these advertisements. Women
need to realize they are not a product to display and they do not fit into categories, as everyone is
unique and has a different body shape regardless of whats supposedly acceptable.

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Introduction
The effect of globalization on the ideal western beauty standard is spreading like wild fire
across the globe. Different standards are being raised, and theyre shared throughout different
countries. A variety of individuals around the world have something in common access to
social media. One platform offers the same ideals and standards. What actually is social media?
Social media is defined as forms of electronic communications (as websites for social
networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share
information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). Through a multitude
of websites, images and videos of unrealistic women are glorified and envied, creating
everlasting effects on young women around the world.
There are billions of active social media accounts being used right now. Almost everyone
has hopped onto the idea of connecting and reconnecting virtually. Photos with filters overlaid
and individuals photo shopped into a completely new person lurks on every photo-sharing
platform. These images are changing perception of beauty and altering the way women think of
themselves. Standards of skinny and the idealistic body are pushing women to alter themselves
into how they think theyre supposed to look. Lebanese women hold the record for the most
plastic surgeries per capita; the numbers of underweight women in Japan are increasing. India
didnt revolve around the size 0 until recently. This matter isnt coincidence. Women changing
themselves started happening around the timeframe social media blew up.
Another factor of changing body image is big brand companies and how theyre
marketing themselves to young women. Companies now are realizing their target is shifting from
the older growing generation to Generation Z; those who were born in the mid to late 1990s.

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Social media is a breeding place for quickly spreading advertisements. Theyre able to reach
customers faster than material ads on magazines or newspapers. The future of advertising lies
within the internet. Some brands market their products to young women making them think
theyll be cooler or look better with this product, creating another standard. Social media is
changing societal norms through altering the idea of the ideal body image on a visual medium to
young women.

Limitations
There were certain limitations that could not bring my research paper to its full potential.
One of those limitations was time. I was given three months to finish all research, surveys,
interviews, and writing (September to December). During that time frame, interviews were
conducted. Due to convenient bias in the selection of individuals I was able to interview, the
results may sound similar given the individuals I questioned live in the same area and are in the
same age group. Interviewing women from different generations would result in a plethora of
answers because social media is emerging now more than ever. Older generations observed their
body ideals from printed media rather than easily accessible internet. Also, different women from
various areas would result in different answers because Im not sure how different countries or
states access their media or know about their societal norms based on the locations.
Research takes a lot of time out of the short time frame given. With not being able to
question people from different areas; knowledge of various locations has to come from specific
research. I was also limited to the databases only available at Tallwood High School, and still
wasnt able to find all of the information I needed.

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Direct access to women across the globe is limited. I have hosted a total of six exchange
students from China, Germany, Northern Ireland, and Italy, with the exception of having a few
connections to exchange students that were not hosted by me. This amount of people isnt
enough to create statistics involving how they are affected by social media and if the people
living in their area also have the same opinions, the most I can do is report this information in
research rather than create statistics.

Methodology
There were a few methods used to collect data and utilize research. The most used
method was constant research and note taking. Topics searched included women and how they
define beauty in correlation to social media. Different beauty standards and types of body
modification was researched and put into consideration.
The article Digital, Social, & Mobile Worldwide in 2015 was used for many statistics
in this paper; it gave information about social media usage, smart phone usage, and accessibility
while comparing it globally. Descriptive quantitative research was mainly used to determine
what topics should be highlighted and it reports the information in a non-biased way.
Personally being a young adult, Ive experienced the pressures of how socially defined
norms of beauty is putting on women and Im able to personally report on it. I have used social
platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook) and have experienced hate and judgement
based on not meeting the ideal body time and image. Im able to understand Generation Z and
report on it as a primary source.

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Doves advertisements has been addressing the same issues as my research paper for
quite some time and using their data and research is extremely useful. They have participated in a
few social experiments which will provide guidance for a possible senior project action.
Multiple individuals were interview based on how they think social media affects beauty
standards. Im able to collect answers that vary based on location because of the exchange
students Ive hosted and through talking to my international contacts.

Literature Review
Western beauty ideals are starting to spread throughout the world, affecting womens selfconfidence and altering how women scattered across the globe view themselves in comparison to
western ideals. Were losing bodies as fast as were losing languages, British psychotherapist
Susie Orbach. The supposedly ideal western woman has perfectly sculpted features such as perky
breasts, a small nose, long legs, and blonde. This article mentions a documentary The Illusionists,
involving a 35-year-old Italian filmmaker Elena Rossini. She traveled to a few different countries
including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. During the seven years of travel,
Elena involved herself in how western beauty has incorporated itself into these countries. The
want to be thin is a common ideal image throughout these countries. The beauty standards have
even made its way to models in japan and India. Body dissatisfaction seems to be a common
theme. Japanese women are striving to have a thin body due to the increased importance of
skinny women. Globalization is to blame for western body ideals implementing itself into the
heads of women of different cultures.
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Lebanon has seen an increase in plastic surgery also. Elena, an Italian film maker,
observes from simply walking around that many women tend to have the same look. 1 in 3
Lebanese women have had plastic surgery. Lebanons First National Bank even lends
individuals up to $5,000 for these procedures, according to CNN, was mentioned in the article.
Western beauty has influenced Lebanons advertisements, and has established a new need to be
beautiful to be accepted. The article is proposing that if women start to accept themselves, rather
than let companies that push certain perfections upon these individuals, then these companies
would go bankrupt; they would no longer have the power to directly influence self-standards.
(Zeilinger, 2015)
The Article Digital, Social, & Mobile Worldwide in 2015 shows useful statistics of
social medium usage across the world. These statistics are relatable to women falling under the
influence of the pressures of social media. Almost 42% of the entire worlds population has
access to the internet in January 2015. That percentage has risen by 7% since the previous year.
With that, its safe to assume women were more affected this year, 2015. Womens ideals vary
around the world because access to the internet isnt equal. More
conservative/communist/underdeveloped countries suffer very minimally if not at all from the
social media related problems that more developed countries have. The average internet user
spends around 4 hours and 25 minutes using the net each day, with Southeast Asians registering
the highest average daily use, as stated in the article. This article also goes over social media
usage, time spent on social media, and active users by social platform; comparing them globally.
(Kemp, 2015)
The website mashable is covering Doves new study. Doves study has revealed about
84% of women believe social media is influencing how we define beauty today, as said in the
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article. This study has come up with statistics involving social medias impact on women,
studying the correlation between beauty ideals on social media versus print media. 10 years ago,
Dove conducted a similar study. A film from the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, selfie, involves
teens that highlight their insecurities about how they look. The teens and mothers in the film
identified what they didnt like about themselves. In a chosen high school, an assembly only
involving teenage girls brought beauty to their attention. The girls were then involved in a
workshop. In the workshop, the girls talked about what made them feel insecure, and how their
mothers insecurities also influenced their own. Mothers in the video then go on to state their
opinion on social media and how its affected beauty standards. Social media can have both
negative and positive outcomes. Aside from all of the negative outcomes of social media, Dove
is also shedding light on the positive; stating women have control over how they share their
images and shaping their own beauty. Mothers are also starting to learn about how their
daughters define beauty. (Kelly, 2014)
Advertisers are now going after and appealing to Generation Z. Generation Z are
individuals that are 20 years old and younger. At this point in time, theyre starting to apply for
jobs and have their own money to freely spend. Netflix, Converse, Target, etc., are working on
retailing more towards this generation. Generation Z was born from the mid to late 1990s and
has about $44 billion of purchasing power. Currently there are about 82 million individuals
included in Generation Z. Gen Z is shaped by social media and has the internet embedded into
their lives more than any other generation; companies have realized they now need to utilize
these social mediums to reach their intended audience. The new goal of certain companies is to
get teens to take pictures of their newly purchase products, and post the photos to social media;
basically advertising for the company with a single purchase. (Geller, 2015)
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Mass media was initially made to encourage consumerism, but now its consumed by
itself. Mass media is more harmful to women, incorporating negative perceptions and putting
this into womens heads. Advertising is subconscious; individuals dont realize how theyre truly
influenced. There are advertisements surrounding todays population through media mediums:
buses, sides of building, social media, television, etc. A persons worth is challenged through the
meaning of one thing being expressed in terms of another. There is a certain look or quality that
is expected out of the population. Mass media affects each member of society because its reach
is vast, its bite is quick, and its message seeps into the very fibers that are woven together to
create a culture of misperceptions about women, stated in the article. Mass media has a large
effect on a persons identity depending on the targets of the culture one lives in. This article is
extremely interesting when talking about how products are now being used to identify
individuals, and finding human worth in a store. Identity is turning into an object rather than a
being. Images in magazines are related to how women feel about themselves. Women are more
vulnerable than men when it comes to body image and influence from magazines and media.
This article states that mens touch is used for purpose while a womans touch is light and
caressing. Being a woman in America means living up to a certain beauty standard; being
beautiful is a top priority. Television has influence in a different way; good characters are usually
good looking, kind, attractive, while villains are cruel an unattractive. Society is whats accepting
these norms and making them okay. Women place a high importance on beauty and how other
individuals see them.
In a study from the 1990s, it was found that magazines most often read by women
contained ten times the number of advertisements and articles on weight and dieting than the
magazines read by men and by the end of the century, between 90 and 85 percent of those who
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suffered from eating disorders were women. This article discusses the correlation between
media and unhealthy thoughts since there was a relation between printed media and unhealthy
thoughts in the 1990s. This is increasing the issue of body modification dieting, weight-loss
pills, etc. American culture is creating a new societal norm, pressuring women to be thin even
though diet products are harmful. Media is gaining power over womens thoughts, and the
influence is growing more daily.
Media uses another tactic; stripping women of their power. Sex is now seen as an
important topic. Sex is being used to sell products. Women are also judged by their presumed
sexual activity solely based on their appearance. This apparent sluttiness is anchored in hate
rather than fact. The media had been stripping women of their worth to sell products. Until media
stops degrading women, the negative effects will persist. (Chapman)
This article talks about womens correlation with body image. In one study of college
students, 74.4% of the normal-weight women stated that they thought about their weight or
appearance all the time or frequently. That study also revealed 46% of normal-weight men
also responded the same way. Todays culture focuses on appearance more than ever. The more a
person focuses on their body, the worse they tend to feel about their appearance. Individuals that
are more concerned with the way their body looks are at higher risk for harmful body changing
activities: extreme dieting, vomiting, smoking, etc.
Positive body image involves understanding that bodies come in many shapes and sizes,
and that value does not revolve around physical appearance. Healthy body image means that our
assessment of our bodies is kept separate from our sense of self-esteem; it insures we dont spend
an unreasonable amount of time worrying about calorie counting and weight. Negative body

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image involves a distorted perception of size or shape. There can be feelings of shame,
awkwardness, or anxiety about the body. Poor body image has been linked to diminished mental
performance. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a particularly intense form of negative body
image. Individuals with BDD are so obsessed with perceived flaws in their appearance that it
affects relationships with family and friends, as well as creating problems with work or school.
BDD can result in anxiety, depression, and even thoughts about suicide. So many people are
unhappy with their bodies because of the pressure of achieving the female ideal. Women are
encouraged to be thin rather than embracing natural curves of the female body. (Body Image)
In this current generation, people are constantly on display through mass media such as
Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram. The accessibility to these platforms is also at
a high because of new smart phones and apps. The average American fashion model is 59 to 6
and weighs 110 to 118 pounds, while the average American woman is only 54 and weighs 142
pounds. Living up to model standards through todays media is almost an impossible reach.
Women believe the unrealistic body on social media is whats to be considered a real woman.
They are trying to fit in to media built standards through eating disorders or tortured levels of
self-worth. Anorexia and bulimia have been on the rise since the 1930s. Instagram was founded
in October 2010 by its cofounders Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger. The app had a million users
within the first two months of its launch. Currently, its estimated that Instagram now has 200
million users; so Instagram caters to a large array of people.
Instagram has created breeding grounds for anorexia and bulimia encouragement,
especially through hashtagging. A hashtag is a digital tag that groups together and creates a
thread of posts or pictures that have similar ideas or themes. Individuals have the ability to
search terms such as #thin or #anorexia to view millions of images of body ideals;
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encouraging the spread of pro-anorexia, bulimia, and self-harm. Since April 2012, Instagram has
applied a content advisory when users search terms such as eating disorders or self-harm. Some
terms such as #thinspiration, #selfharm, and #proanorexia have been banned from being
searched. Images are able to reach this 200 million user base with negative phrases and images
encouraging bodily harm to reach their body ideal. (Instagram's Negative Effect on Body Image
of Young Girls, 2014)

Body
Globalization: the act of globalizing, or extending to other or all parts of the world; worldwide
integration and development. Societal norms are spreading through mass media across the globe.
Because of globalization, beauty and body standards are now pressuring women in the same way
no matter what location.
Western beauty ideals used to mean impossibly small waists with accentuates hips,
through corsets. These corsets symbolized wealth and womens role in society. These ideals were
extremely popular during the Victorian Era, which did not include any kind of internet or easily
accessible media. Currently, the beauty standards have completely shifted. The ideal body
through westernized eyes believe skinny bodies, chiseled faces, small noses, and perky breasts
are features that beautiful women are supposed to have. Through visual mediums such as social
media, television, advertisements, and printed media, these ideals are spreading across the globe.
In the documentary, the Illusionists, a 35 year-Old Italian filmmaker, Elena Rossini, traveled to
multiple countries. Over a span of seven years, Elena visited North America, Europe, the Middle
East, and Asia. She observed how western beauty has incorporated itself into these countries.
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Western beauty standards are affecting individuals more than ever before. Now, models in Japan
and India have this western body image want in common. They have a desire to be incredibly
thin due to the new importance of having a skinny body.
Mass media has shaped new societal norms for women and is the medium that these
norms are spreading through. Different countries have certain standards simply because some
countries have more access to media than others. Developing and third world countries are not as
focused as fitting into a western ideal because they arent as influenced through internet and
advertisements. Instead, they are focused more on survival. Out of the 7.210 billion people living
on this planet, 3.010 billion people are active internet users as of January 2015. There are also
about 2.08 billion active social media accounts. 2.08 billion individuals have the potential to be
influenced by social standards and body ideals. Nigeria has 7% of their population on active
accounts on top social media networks, versus Singapore with 66% of their population on social
media networks. With Nigeria only having 7% of their population active on social media, one
could say they are the least influenced by western ideals. West African women aspire to have
voluptuous bodies. They are known for purchasing appetite stimulants because of the want to
have large busts, thick legs, and large behinds versus western ideals involving skinny bodies all
around. In 2001, an 18-year-old, Agbani Darego, won the Miss World beauty pageant. She was
the first African to have this honor, and her body was tall and skinny. The rest of the world
recognized her for the body they expect women to have. There could be a possible shift in the
way West African women see themselves based on this first ever win, and the possible want to be
similar to their Miss World beauty pageant winner.
Singapore has about 66% of their population on social media networks. Their beauty
standards include being well-groomed and having fair, porcelain skin. The perfect Singapore
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girl has big eyes and a small face with a defined jawline and feminine long hair. Shes slim and
petite with shapely legs, said by Cosmopolitan Singapores senior beauty writer Elizabeth Lee.
Saudi Arabia has about 29% of their population on social media networks. Near Saudi
Arabia is Lebanon, which has seen a huge increase in plastic surgery recently. 1 in 3 Lebanese
women have plastic surgery, and theyre able to take legal loans up to $5,000 out of Lebanons
First National Bank specifically for these procedures. Even though Indias social media usage is
at a mere 9%, size 0 has arrived in their country as a beauty standard. Fifteen years ago the
American influence was absent and women would dress in their traditional clothes, look great.
Now it is all about Western clothes. Its sad. Its happening so fast. I notice it every time I go
back, said Mika Bhatia, a Californian of Indian origin. Indias beauty standards were the
complete opposite of western ideals until media became more prominent.
After interviewing various individuals living across the globe, there were similarities
throughout each answer. Young women that grew up in Italy, Northern Ireland, Germany, Spain,
and the United States were asked about their experience with social media and if they believe it
has affected how they viewed themselves. Each answer resulted in essentially the same answer:
seeing beautiful women on the internet makes these young ladies feel as if they have to live up to
a certain standard, an unrealistic standard. Regardless of location, social media has a powerful
effect on the mind.
Major companies are now utilizing social media because they have discovered their
potential advertising power. Adidas, Nike, fashion brands, etc. have made their way to mainly
focusing on social media. In the past, these companies would spend more money on
advertisement distribution, but now they are investing more money into the ads and videos

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themselves, and letting their intended audience do the distributing for them through sharing on
social platforms. Companies are relying on their target audience (now Generation Z) to buy name
brand products and posting images of them on their social media; this generation is advertising
for name brand companies without realizing it. Posting images of expensive items on social
platforms is now turning into self-worth. Individuals of todays age are defining themselves
through expensive products and companies are now taking advantage of this.
Generation Z can be defined as individuals that were born from the mid to late 1990s.
This generation is now growing into young adults and earning their own money. Generation Z
has an estimated $44 billion of purchasing power, and companies are now trying to utilize that
spending power. Currently, there are roughly 82 million individuals considered apart of
Generation Z. This is the generation shaped by social media; the internet is embedded into their
lives more than any other generation.
Print media and electronic media both have huge effects on society, but to different
groups of people. Older generations, people born before generation Z, relied more heavily on
printed media such as magazines and newspapers to get their news and other information. Ads
showing women with unrealistic skinny bodies infest fashion and beauty magazines, giving
women an image to look up to. During the late 1900s, women with thick bodies and curves were
considered beautiful. Women actually took pills to help gain weight rather than be a part of
ridiculous diet fads like today. Since the come up of Photoshop and social media, not even some
models have the bodies that magazine images portray them as. Images are Photoshopped or
altered to create a skinny, lean body with flawless skin and chiseled features. Now, there are apps
that anyone can have access to. These apps make it easy to airbrush your skin or pinch your
smartphones screen to make your body appear smaller. The altered images are then overlaid
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with a filter and posted to social networks to show off to people that are soon to be filled with
jealousy. Women see these images and feel as if they need to change their bodies as well,
creating a domino effect and spreading western ideals throughout the internet.
Advertising is subconscious. Ads appear everywhere, from billboards to buildings, trucks,
and spread across the internet. Products that can potentially allow women to look better and feel
better are subconsciously looked at without realizing it, and these images are then kept in our
heads, embedding the need to look better into the back of our brains. Companies make sure to
hire beautiful women so the face of the company is looked up to enabling women to want to
copy this image by buying products. Being surrounded by unattainable standards lowers selfesteem creating a distorted self-image. Women dont want to be confronted with social rejection.
In television shows and movies, good characters are usually attractive, kind, and
approachable while villains are seen as cruel and unattractive. People want to be beautiful to be
associated with what society sees as good and approachable. Beautiful women are able to
possibly get out of car tickets with male cops, have more job opportunities, etc. These perks are
what people want to be able to attain.
Body modification happens throughout the globe. Westernized women sometimes have
multiple piercings on their belly button, ears, and face because it is socially acceptable and seen
as beautiful. People also spend a great amount of money on plastic surgery to change their look
into something society has defined as more beautiful than what the individual already looked
like. What body modification is considered beautiful varies throughout different cultures.
Modification such as lip plugs, which are used to stretch the lip and find a husband in Ethiopia,

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and scarification is not accepted anywhere that looks up to western ideals, but are considered
beautiful and are representational in the cultures they are accepted in.
Dove has conducted an experiment relating women to social media. Their study has
revealed about 84% of women believe social media is influencing how we define beauty today.
That would be able 21 people in a class of 25 believing social media influences beauty. Dove has
had multiple beauty experiments such as using the hashtag #choosebeautiful and using real
women that arent unattainably skinny in their advertisements to empower women and show the
world that every woman can be considered beautiful.
Selfie, a film from the 2014 Sundance film festival, asked teens about their perception of
beauty. Teenagers then went on to talk about their flaws and were unsure if they could be seen as
beautiful or not. The film went on to show a workshop including these young girls and their
mothers, having their mothers take selfies like the younger generation. Mothers didnt realize
that they pass on their insecurities to their daughters and found out their daughters definitions of
beauty based on societal norms of today. It was an eye opening film. Selfies of the young girls
participating in the workshop had their selfies printed and hung up in a museum where strangers
were able to walk around and write a compliment on a sticky note about the selfie. It helped the
young girls realize theyre beautiful and people notice things about themselves that they dont
even notice.

Conclusion
Mass media was initially created to encourage consumerism, but todays society is
consuming itself and falling into the traps of big brand companies. Social media can have both
negative and positive outcomes. Dove has also decided to focus on the positive by attempting to
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empower millions of users on the internet and sending them the message that its okay to accept
our bodies. Dove states that women have control over how they share their images and shaping
their own beauty, and theyre right. With all of the negative body shaming and desire to fit into a
certain size, women ultimately decide whether or not they want to fall into a category or be their
own individual. Anorexia and bulimia have been on the rise since the 1930s, and have increased
more as the internet takes control. Until media stops degrading women, the sharing of negativity
will continue. Instagram is already starting to attempt to alleviate the posts about the need to be
thin by blocking certain hashtags such as #thinspiration, #selfharm, and more. When women
start to accept themselves and realize they are not a product in todays society, companies will no
longer be able to take advantage of the vulnerability and push certain perfections upon todays
population. These companies will realize they no longer have the power to directly influence
standards.

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