Current Event I

BEAUTY FACE OFF: Mum and her teenage daughter share their habits and very different attitudes to beauty

(April 17, 2019)

Social media puts many teenage girls under a constant pressure of perfection. Social media platforms like Instagram portray an unrealistic body image and change the perception of beauty for young girls.

Leah Sharman (18) and her mom Kellie (42)

This is the case of Leah Sharman, an 18 years old student, who with her mom Kellie share, in the article, by The Sun their different experiences and attitudes towards beauty as well as their beauty habits. Kellie spends around £3 500 a year for all her beauty products and treatments while her mom spends only £400.

The main reason for Leah’s obsession with looks is social media. The young generation of girls feels a constant urge to “keep up with the Kardashians”. Ever since Leah turned 13, she cared a great lot about her visual appearance. She wanted to look the way other girls looked on social media.

"I wear make-up in all my Instagram photos so I’d feel anxious if people looked at me because I didn’t look the same"

One of many beauty habits Leah does to make herself look “pretty” is fake tanning every three days, acrylic or gel nails every three weeks, at-home teeth whitening and new hair extensions every six months. Leah’s mom blames all of it on social media. She said in the article: “It’s social media that gives Leah a bad body image. It used to drive me mad when she put a full face of make-up on for school.”

Twenty years back, most women went for natural look just using mascara and a bit of foundation. However, girls nowadays spent way more money on beauty products and beauty services just so they can look more like celebrities they follow on social platforms. Constant comparing to “perfect” filtered pictures posted on Instagram can result in lower self-esteem and dissatisfaction with girl’s own body and look.

"On the days I do feel good about myself, I compare myself to pictures on Instagram and it brings me back down — everyone looks so amazing"

However, we should keep in mind that not everything we see on social media is real and there is more behind every “perfect” picture we see. But probably most important, there is no straight definition of beauty. Like the old saying goes: “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”

For further information on how social media effects the perception of beauty and body image please feel free to watch the video below.

References

Clarke, L., Dunwell, C. (2019, April 17). BEAUTY FACE OFF Mum and her teenage daughter

share their habits and very different attitudes to beauty. Retrieved from

https://www.thesun.co.uk

Friedman, M. (2017, November 20). Social Media's Effect on Body Image [Video File].

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com