Nowadays, millennials’ reputations and appearances on social media mean everything: how does my hair, face, or butt look in that picture? Don’t get me wrong—I think the overall purpose of social media, which is being able to connect with others, started off as a great idea. However, the fact that especially young girls today are changing their bodies to reach unrealistic goals of perfection to please Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook audiences is downright alarming.
Here and there a top-notch celebrity posts a picture of a “makeup free selfie,” and everyone is shocked. For a small window of time, everyone forgets that beauty is not based on how much makeup you can conjure up on your face and changing God-given features. Makeup is supposed to enhance what great features individuals already have. I commend these celebrities for putting themselves out there in such a vulnerable and admirable way.
Then, there are people who model the opposite of appreciating the way you look from birth and beyond, like Khloe, Kim, and Kylie Kardashian. In fact, all of the Kardashians have had plastic surgery in one way or another. As much as I am entertained by their tv show and constant drama, when you really look at these women (and even the men in that family), it is terribly sad to see what lengths they will go to to fix every aspect of their body that is not “perfect.” And even worse, although the internet has before and after pictures to prove that work has been done to their bodies, Kim and Kylie for example claim that they have never gotten any work done, and that they are all “natural.” This is due to their insecurity that everyone will realize they are not as naturally enhanced as they wish people to believe.
After reading through countless articles involving kylie Jenner and the amount of work she has gotten done to her body at the young, ripe age of 19, I have realized how dangerous and out of control that some people go on account of social media. By just glancing at pictures of her from only about three years ago, it is obvious that she has had lip fillers, face filler injections, hip, butt, and boob implants (not to count the numerous times she has changed her hair color or extensions). The amount of money and recovery time alone after these surgeries must have been excruciating. What was the purpose of all this work—Self-esteem issues, lack of confidence, and the struggle to “make a name for herself.” The stress and expectations of her family to succeed and be perfect drove her to this addiction, and who knows how this will affect her when she is older.
Millennials today need to realize the consequences of their affiliations with too much social media, and their actions in response to what the media says. They need to know when enough is enough, and when social media is becoming too essential in their lives, they need to take a step back and ponder how it is affecting their self image and actions. Natural beauty should be enough, and as long as you take care of your body and mental health, the focus should not be so much on your appearance but how you treat others and the good that you bring to society.