As technology advances, social media has become more popular than ever. With over 3.6 billion people using social media worldwide, it’s difficult to find someone who isn’t on some sort of social media platform. These platforms are very useful in day-to-day life for most people. You can share just about anything with pretty much anyone you want to at any time. However, there are many negative aspects of social media. The most notable is how it affects its users’ self-image.

With how easy it is to access some sort of photo or video editor nowadays, you can guarantee that people will use those tools to their advantage. Whether that be to edit their body shape or face, fake a text message to stir up some drama, or pose in front of a fancy car found on Google Images, the possibilities are essentially endless. The worst part is that not everyone can easily identify what’s altered and what isn’t, which, obviously, has its fair share of consequences.

“Social Media definitely has an impact on the way you view yourself, whether it be good or bad. Social media has a preference for slim women with no cellulite or stomachs. All bodies are going to be different, so why do we bash having different body types?” said junior Emma Schelah.

A huge example of body type preference on social media is influencers and brand marketing. Typically, we only see a few body types, which are usually all some variation of the “model” body type.

“The point of modeling and selling brands is to be inclusive to get your customers to buy your product. Having a stomach is normal, being tall is normal, and being slim or having stretch marks is normal. Social media should be more about normalizing these things and less about saying your body has to look a certain way,” added Schelah.

On a more positive note, we are starting to see an increase in body-positive trends and movements on many social media platforms. Not only trends, but brands are also becoming more size-inclusive, adding sizes both smaller and larger than the typical clothing size ranges.

“Everyone is beautiful and unique, and that should be celebrated on social media more than anything else,” said Schelah.

At the end of the day, your body matters much more than a short-lived internet trend. Regardless of shape or size, it’s extremely important to treat both your mind and your body with kindness.