Nowadays many people edit their pictures before posting them online, with one study reporting that 90% of women admit to using filters or editing apps before sharing their images on social media. This pressure to be perfect can come from different places. In some cases, it may arise because of low self-esteem; in other instances, the pressure is triggered by social media and celebrity culture. Regular exposure to advertisements about cosmetic procedures, like teeth whitening, lip fillers and plastic surgeries, also result in additional pressure to look ‘perfect’.
The sports nutrition company Bulk recently conducted research on people’s desire to alter their photos. They found that an alarming number are looking for ways in which they can edit or modify the way they look in pictures, with 23,510 monthly searches for body editing apps coming from UK residents alone. In second place is Germany, where 16,700 people seek out these apps every month, followed by Italy, which has 14,800 monthly searches.
Below is a list of top 10 European countries searching for body editing apps:
- UK – 23,510 searches
- Germany – 16,770 searches
- Italy – 14,770 searches
- France – 13,510 searches
- Spain – 11,590 searches
- Holland – 10,590 searches
- Greece – 9,280 searches
- Poland – 8,690 searches
- Romania – 7,530 searches
- Sweden – 7,190 searches
Social media has been a major part of our daily lives for years. Consistently scrolling through these websites may evoke negative feelings towards yourself and cultivate unrealistic expectations. It goes without saying that social media is a place where people want to show their best self and present a carefully cultivated image and lifestyle. However, many of us don’t realise how much editing images undergo before being posted. It is important to remember that edited images do not represent reality and can trigger mental health and body confidence issues.
While the body positivity movement has been making some major progress over the past few years, there is still a long way to go. The world is changing and so are peoples’ attitudes towards body image. More than ever before, we’re seeing an emphasis on loving ourselves, as society gravitates towards the acceptance of all shapes and sizes and moves away from glamorising size 0. We can only hope that more work will be done to combat the toxic culture and promote healthy relationships with our bodies.