Summary Of How Social Media Is A Toxic Mirror

Title: How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror
Author: Rachel Simmons
Text Type: Article “How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror” is an article written by Rachel Simmons. In this text she explains why social media can put a lot of pressure on people into wanting to be what society calls “perfect”, to impress others. While reading this article, I felt upset about how visual media such as; magazines, television, movies, and social media can create a huge negative impact on adolescents, by applying unrealistic beauty standards. I found this text really interesting and relatable for not only me, but other teens who use social media. Social media is commonly used by teenagers and young adults, who mostly face this issue of reaching the beauty standards that society sets. The article writes, “Visual platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat deliver the tools that allow teens to earn approval for
Simmons states, “an array of free applications, selfie-holics now have the power to alter their bodies in pictures in a way that’s practically on par with makeup and other beauty products.”. This made me think about how people use apps, makeup and photoshop to cover up their ‘imperfections’. I for one, have used applications to change the way I look for a photo that I’ll later post on social media. We are able to clear pimples, whiten teeth, even make ourselves look skinner, with a simple swipe of the finger. It’s upsetting, knowing that people put so much effort into making themselves look like society’s expected beauty standards. Changing ourselves for a photograph is very unnecessary but I believe we do it to fit in and to avoid being judged by other people. Being judged or judging people is also a huge issue when it comes to social media and body image. It’s human nature to judge someone by how they present themselves, but with the beauty standards, people have put themselves into the system of needing to meet those