Does your mood spoil when you look at photos of models or screen stars? No wonder: the media imposes on us idealized, unattainable standards of beauty. However, the desire to meet the standard can reduce self-esteem and even lead to mental disorders. How not to be influenced by glamorous images, says psychologist Rene Engeln.
Everyone who periodically looks at Instagram has seen this miracle. Models, socialites and other celebrities have created a special genre of photography: their poses are incredibly refined, and clearly photoshopped faces shine with unreal beauty. These women have fantastic skin – no wrinkles, no spots, as if they live under a protective cap.
Anyone will envy their harmony: a stomach without a single fold, not a single gram of cellulite on the hips. In general, those who have claims to their own appearance are left to sob in despair. However, wait a minute: the authors of the study of photo parodies of pretentious shots argue that the opposite is true: we should laugh.
Recently, experts from the British Center for Research on the Perception of Appearance and the Australian Center for Emotional Health found out whether parodies of celebrity image posts on Instagram can eliminate the negative consequences caused by their viewing. The scientists were inspired by Australian comedian Celeste Barber (@celesterbarber), who posts hilarious interpretations of typical pathos photos on a social network.
Barber amuses himself by reproducing original images in a naturalistic manner. She does not hide the “ears” and folds on the body, and mimics unnatural facial expressions and forced postures. Her sarcastic captions make you wonder how ridiculous ideas for photo shoots can be. Really, do normal people wallow among empty boxes in their underwear? Or stand on your hands in bed with your loved one? Barber’s account is wildly popular – she has more than five million subscribers.
The researchers set out to test how Barber’s comic images worked, and recruited more than a hundred women, aged 18 to 30 (all regular users of Instagram), who were asked to view two sets of images. In the “parody” version, the participants were shown 16 photos, 15 seconds each. All of them consisted of two parts: on the one hand, a celebrity, on the other, her “double” performed by Celeste.
In the “ideal” version, only the author’s shots were shown, where the stars flaunted in tight clothes or half-dressed. Both collections retained hashtags, likes and captions. To make the participants more attentive, the leaders of the experiment were asked to determine how typical such posts are for Instagram. Their mood and body image satisfaction were measured before and after viewing.
Even if you can’t escape from the unbearably beautiful pseudo-reality, at least you can laugh to your heart’s content
As expected, everyone who saw the comic photo collection had a significant increase in body satisfaction. In other words, a few minutes of watching Barber’s “jokes” greatly improved their perception of their own appearance. But women who viewed only authentic celebrity photos experienced a sharp drop in their happiness levels.
This model of behavior is natural: numerous studies confirm that idealized media images destroy women’s self-esteem. Barber’s photo cartoons did not increase the happiness of the respondents, but their mood indicators remained stable. This is especially noteworthy given that they have seen not only the parody, but also the original.
It is possible that cartoons do not completely eliminate the harmful influence of glamorous media images, but they weaken their negative effect. A number of studies confirm that young women spend an average of 30-60 minutes daily on Instagram. More than enough to accumulate the side effect of embellished celebrity publications. Accordingly, an antidote is needed.
The authors offer a fun and easy way to resist the toxic effects of social networks. Since most girls are unlikely to agree to destroy an Instagram account, and many of them follow celebrities who set unrealistic standards for appearance, why not dilute your feed with cartoonish pictures?
Let this be the first step towards defeating the tyranny of the ideal of beauty imposed by social media. Even if you can’t escape from the unbearably beautiful pseudo-reality, at least you can laugh to your heart’s content. Laughter is the best way to support mental health!
About the Author: René Engeln is a professor of psychology at Northwestern University and author of The Beauty Sickness: How Imposed Preoccupation with Appearance Harms Girls and Women.