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Galilea Guzman

Professor Harutunian

English 101

2 November 2019

The Societal Impact of Influencers on Adolescents in LA

The presence of social media influencers in Los Angeles has reached an all-time high,

making it much more difficult to scroll through Instagram without stumbling across Kylie

Jenner’s new plastic surgery procedure or her latest Lamborghini purchase. In modern-day

society, these celebrities and influencers are revered for possessing the looks, fame, and wealth

that an ordinary person would not have. Social media allows influencers to flaunt unrealistic

body images, the allure of living a “perfect” life, and thus creating an envious environment

accompanied with lowered self-esteem. This image is unrealistic, as the average person does not

spend thousands of dollars on aesthetic procedures on their bodies to make their waist extremely

small or their jawline flawlessly carved out. Social media influencers in Los Angeles have

exposed unrealistic perceptions of beauty into the minds of adolescents, creating a distorted

perception of reality, and deteriorating mental health as a result.

The incessant use of social media platforms makes for an easy target to negatively affect

the confidence of adolescents by comparing their lifestyles to that of their own. Such influencers,

whether they have an immense amount of followers on Instagram, Twitter, or Youtube have the

authority to shift the mindsets of young adults. For instance, Kylie Jenner is an active influencer

and businesswoman with over 148 million followers on Instagram. She is known to post

revealing photos of her body, which flaunt her curves and slim figure, although posting photos of
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it may not tell the whole story. Behind the facade of this “ideal” body, is thousands of dollars

worth of plastic surgery, trainers, and expert dieticians. The average person is not capable of

acquiring such a considerable amount of money on their physical appearance alone. With such

powerful images, comes a wave of low self-esteem adolescents who envy her body. According to

Taryn Myers, chair of the department of psychology at Virginia Wesleyan University and a

body-image researcher states, “So in general, viewing or posting images can really make us feel

worse about our bodies, and this effect may be amplified for celebrity photos” (Myers). This

showcases the detrimental effect and body dissatisfaction of teens who actively follow

influencers. LA has allowed this socially-constructed image of an “attractive” body to thrive with

its online accessibility to vulnerable teens, leading to negative feelings toward one’s own body,

and lack of confidence.

A majority of influencers are offered brand deals that expect them to endorse products

associated with physical appearance. Influencers are successful in this approach, as they gain

trust and credibility within their audience, making consumers more inclined to try out a product.

The dangerous case with these advertisements online, is that they advocate for unhealthy ways to

change one’s looks. For example, this can be seen through Kim Kardashian’s promotion of an

appetite-suppressing lollipop from the brand, Flat Tummy Company. Their website states, “[its]

lollipops contain “satiereal” (an extract of saffron stigma, which it claims “​helps control food

intake​, cravings and weight)...so with 1-2 pops per day, you’ll have your hunger under control

and cravings in-check” (Moran). The willingness to put the body through extreme discomfort

and malnutrition is attributed to early signs of bulimia, as well as anorexia nervosa, which are

very common in those who buy products such as these. According to a study on mass media and
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the perception of beauty, “Influencers’ thin ideal images often accompany various advertised

products, the pairing of which reinforces the idea that if you buy or use a particular product, you,

too, can be beautiful” (Hogue, Mills, and Shannon 145). The reality is that the image of

influencer’s “perfect” bodies is used to collect followers who find themselves unhappy with their

own appearance, and are given a “solution” to be just like them. For example, such influencers

advocate using laxatives in excess, such as the infamous “flat tummy tea”, which is a beverage

that is commonly used as an ad for weight loss. According to Charlotte Kinder, a British

Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine nutritional therapist, such teas aren’t healthy in

large amounts, “When taken in excess or chronically, laxatives can damage the gut lining along

with causing nutrient depletion, dehydration and malabsorption” (Kinder). These promotions of

laxative teas only increase the prevalence of eating disorders in young adults, and the idea that

their bodies need to be “detoxed” to become slimmer. This mindset is dangerous, as it only

enforces the idea that there are only certain types of bodies which are deemed beautiful. In any

case, if the individual is dissatisfied with their own body, they are given the remedy to their

issue. This only propagates a nonstop cyclical movement of adolescents believing that they are

not enough in a society.

Fitness influencers have also gained popularity over the past decade, as the need to look

“good” has become tremendously important. When scrolling on Instagram or viewing Youtube

videos on one’s exercise and clean-eating routine, it can be easy to fall down a rabbit hole of

comparison to the body-builders of Los Angeles. For example, one of the most influential fitness

addicts in LA is Simeon Panda. With a follower count of nearly 5.5 million followers, he is a

world-renowned bodybuilder who trains extremely hard to get to where he is. Many people envy
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him and his extremely fit body, which tends to leave room for comparison. This body image is

unrealistic to the average individual, as their responsibilities keep them from weight lifting for

hours on end on a daily basis. This lifestyle is usually unattainable due to the limitations of

having a job, school, or kids to tend to, making it difficult to be the greatest bodybuilder in

Southern California. Other such posts from fitness “influencers” include the hashtag

“#fitspiration.” According to Ricky Derisz:

Fitspiration is a trend often falling into this category. Its aim is to provide motivation for

exercise and encourage a healthy lifestyle, but most posts emphasise aesthetics over

health. Studies show ​browsing #fitspo posts on Instagram​, for as little as 30 minutes,

increases self-objectification. Further, another study discovered women who shared their

own “Fitspo” photographs scored higher in charts monitoring a drive for thinness and

compulsive exercise. Eighteen percent of the same group were at risk of developing an

eating disorder. (Derisz)

The desire to change one’s body, or conform to certain standards is something that has long since

been implemented in society. The difference in metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles, is that

social media influencers have found a way to condition young adolescents into believing there is

a beauty standard of success. These fit-inspiration posts are a constant visual reminder of the

comparison that is drawn between the influencer and the audience, causing multiple negative

effects. Some of these include, depression, anxiety, or eating disorders as a by-product of

viewing the unrealistic images of many social media fitness moguls.

The social constructs that are enforced by influencers in Los Angeles has sparked

widespread controversy. The unattainable goals placed on youth, leads them to believe the
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standards must be met, otherwise something is wrong with them. Platforms such as Instagram

and Snapchat allow for an environment of self-loathing and comparison of the beauty standards

that place a considerable amount of pressure on adolescents, leading to mental health issues. This

perpetual cycle of lowered self-esteem is reinforced with images like that of Kylie Jenner with

airbrushed skin, a flat stomach, and only drinking laxative teas. The truth is hidden behind such

deceptive appearances: with reconstructive plastic surgeries, fillers, and other cosmetic practices

to ensure an influencer’s reputation is well kept. Social media leaves little room for realistic

lifestyles for the common individual, and glorifies thin bodies, with disproportionate body ratios.

This image seems tempting to duplicate, but the reality of achieving an endless amount of beauty

standards is not that simple. It is important to remember that only the best photos are shown to

the public, and influencers are not as perfect as they are made out to be. A great deal of time and

most importantly, money is invested to retain their appealing looks. The society of Los Angeles

especially shows the detrimental impact influencers can have on young adults, leaving them to

battle mental health issues stemmed from social media.

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MLA Works Cited

Alexander, Martha. “The Big Fat Problem with Skinny Tea and the Detox Culture behind It.”

The Independent​, Independent Digital News and Media, 6 Sept. 2019,

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/skinny-tea-detox-cleansing-instagram-kylie-je

nner-laxative-a9080961.html.

Finchi, Sara. “Social Media Influences the Ways We Understand Beauty.” ​Introduction to

Gender and Women's Studies Blog,​ 15 Mar. 2019,

gwst1501.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/social-media-influences-the-ways-we-understand-b

eauty/.

Heid, Markham. “The Case Against Following Social Media Influencers.” ​Medium,​ Elemental, 6

May 2019,

elemental.medium.com/the-case-against-following-social-media-influencers-5aa745c658

3f.

Mills, Jennifer S., et al. “Beauty, Body Image, and the Media.” ​IntechOpen​, IntechOpen, 25 Oct.

2017,

www.intechopen.com/books/perception-of-beauty/beauty-body-image-and-the-media.

Moran, Lee. “Jameela Jamil Shreds Kim Kardashian For Promoting 'Appetite Suppressant'

Lollipops.” ​HuffPost​, HuffPost, 16 May 2018,

www.huffpost.com/entry/kim-kardashian-appetite-suppressant-lollipops_n_5afc1262e4b

0a59b4dff3d3f.
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Tait, Amelia. “What Happens When You Get Scammed By an Influencer.” ​Vice​, 7 Mar. 2019,

www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xym9x/instagram-influencer-scams-flat-tummy-tea-fyre-fe

st.