Perfect skin, shiny hair, model figure – this is a familiar image for many teenagers from the dazzling Instagram world. Young girls in particular take the lifestyle or appearance exemplified there as a model and perceive it as the ideal. In this article, you will learn what this means for their self-perception and how you can support your child in feeling comfortable in their own body.
Many of the photos or videos posted on Instagram do not correspond to reality. Whether it’s a classmate or a beauty blogger, everyone wants to present their followers with the most enviable photos possible. To do this, use the filters provided by Instagram, with which the skin looks smoother, the sun brighter and hair shinier. With special apps, even the nose can be made smaller or the waist narrower.
Influencers in particular present themselves and their lives on social networks as almost flawless and perfect. Their followers perceive this portrayal as authentic and emulate them. This can be expressed by a desire for the latest sneakers or by dissatisfaction with one’s own body. Because the Instagram world has little to do with reality, as “normal” bodies are hardly present and therefore not desirable for young people. Teenagers are subjected to pressure to come close to this skewed reality.
To be part of the community, there is also pressure to post your own photos on Instagram. In the process, even taking pictures or filming is sometimes seen as frustrating because it takes a long time and the finished media products do not always meet expectations. For many young people, the number of likes and comments is then also seen as confirmation of their person. Self-doubt increases when the posted photo or video receives few or no likes.
Various studies have shown that young people who use Instagram are particularly likely to feel uncomfortable in their bodies. Snapchat is also criticized for this. Young people are not only confronted with perfect images of others in social networks, but also through TV formats such as “Germany’s Next Topmodel” or through advertising. However, young people feel a particularly strong personal connection to their role models in social networks.
The distorted body images in social networks are much criticized. There are strong efforts to present bodies in all their forms in the media, e.g. by people showing themselves on Instagram and Co. under hashtags like #formorerealityoninstagram or #teambodylove without makeup and naturally. The images are not edited. In this way, an attempt is made to convey a realistic body image, especially to young people, and to encourage them to accept their own bodies.
In addition, there are demands to mark edited images as such in the future in order to make it clear that they do not correspond to reality.
Stay in conversation with your child about his or her role models. Look at pictures together on Instagram and ask what exactly it is that it likes about the pictures. Make your daughter or son aware of edited images and question how realistic they can be. It also helps to remember that very few people have the look of influencers and models, and that even they have to use photo editing.
Perhaps show channels that specifically try to upload realistic photos. Work together to find channels or hashtags that are less stereotypical and more reflective of the diversity of society. This gives your child different incentives for their own personality development.
Use a photo editing app together for fun and change a photo of yourself or your child using filters. This way, your child also realizes how easy it is to change or even manipulate an image. Completely independent of media, you can support your child daily in accepting and loving their own body and thus strengthen their self-esteem.
12- to 17-year-olds in particular often spend several hours a day on social media platforms such as YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram. In doing so, they look at content from people they don’t know personally, but still know a lot about. Even though the term influencer sounds like a strong influence, your child is actively choosing to follow someone and watch their videos for specific reasons. Certain influencers have varying degrees of importance or lasting interest.
Influencers report in pictures or videos about their supposed everyday life or deal with topics such as fashion, beauty or gaming. Influencers offer orientation, for example, when it comes to one’s own search for identity, but also something like friendship. One can distinguish between different types of influencers:
The simplest classification is according to the number of followers, which tells how big an influencer’s reach is. Influencers with low reach are also significant for companies to advertise with. The most common terms are as follows:
Mega-influencer, super-influencer or hero-influencer
These influencers have reach in the millions and get the most attention on social networks. They are the stars of the scene, such as Bibi or Lisa and Lena.
Star influencer or celebrity influencer
This is the name given to influencers who have become prominent as athletes, film stars, or pop stars and also have a large fan community outside of social media.
Macro-Influencer or Everyday-Influencer
They have a smaller but still large reach with about 50,000 followers. They are considered role models in their scene and often set new trends.
But micro- or nano-influencers also have a strong influence. They are experts on certain topics, e.g. bloggers or Youtubers with channels on specific topics. They are considered very credible in their field and have a loyal following. Emerging or Rising Influencers are considered the upcoming talents, with a still small reach.
Influencers can also be distinguished by the topics they cover and the way they perform:
Style Inspirers
They celebrate lifestyle in beauty, cars, fashion, food and travel. They allow the user to daydream while remaining approachable through their interaction.
Coaches
They are mentors, i.e. they take the follower by the hand, offer orientation and concrete advice. Topics can range from do-it-yourself to life hacks and life advice to any hobby or niche interest.
Experts
Although they often only serve a small niche as micro-influencers, they are a great authority in this field. They offer valuable guidance to followers on a particular topic through their great expertise.
Explainers
They are concerned with making everyday, political and scientific topics understandable and making them accessible to others. Besides, thanks to them, their followers have the opportunity to form their own opinion. They draw their credibility from their conviction.
Self-promoters and entertainers
They are funny and entertaining. Watching their videos, you can briefly escape from everyday life. With ingenuity and a lot of character, they offer good entertainment.
Missionaries
These role models represent certain ideals from everyday life, politics or lifestyle that they follow.
Ask your child about what excites and interests them about one person or another. Perhaps you too will find inspiration in an influencer!
