Social Media; Its effects on young women.

They say that once something is out in the world- It's out there forever, That some things in life you just can’t erase and you can’t take back. My big sister used to often tell me that ‘Sorry doesn’t cut it, That you can’t take back the things you say- Or do.’

It makes me really think about life, About people, and most of all about the internet. It makes me think of Social Media, And how once something is out on the interweb, You can never ever take it back.

People often say once you post something you can’t ever truly delete it, Things on the internet are the most permanent- The most solid and existing things that you can find on a screen, Even if they are just pixels.

The problem with the internet- Even if I praise the anonymity on it in my last article, Is exactly that, Being so anonymous gives people the chance to do so many amazing things- It lets people be themselves even when the people they’re talking to actually have no idea who they might be- Sometimes even the anonymous person doesn’t know themselves.

The internet brings games, Pg-13 and more, It brings movies, And even the chance to state your own opinion in beautiful and skillfully written articles- Like mine (Not to toot my own horn) It gives you the opportunity to speak your mind and make an impact in meaningful ways.

However, Sometimes the internet gives way to the people who only want to use it for harm. The people who believe their hurtful beliefs are worth sharing- Or worse worth belittling strangers to make them feel better about themselves.

One time, I simply stated that its not a ‘brilliant idea’ to get a tattoo of a certain male body part on your wrist- Where all potential employers can see it..And I got called a fat whale based on a profile picture that didn’t even have me in it, And a bio quoting shaggy from Scooby Doo (“Give me liberty or give me Pizza Pie”).

My point is, Many people in the world attempt to bring you down- Even if they don’t know you, Even if it's absolutely nothing personal and they have no basis. The internet gives those people the opportunity to harm you.

Some people, (*Cough Cough*) Celebrities, Attempt to use their profile and their audience to make things better, And sometimes all they do is make it worse- They show off their gorgeous faces, Makeup, Bodies- Heck, Even their beautiful hair, And it begins to put pressure on the girls who don’t have millions of dollars in their pockets to spend on lip injections and butt implants.

Now, I’m not saying that all famous and successful women have fake body parts! I genuinely think that all women are beautiful whether genetically enhanced or Natural- Or anywhere in between. I’m not blaming these women for making me (Or any other young girl) in this world feel less than, But it does happen.

I genuinely don’t think it's any women’s fault, Famous or not- I believe its social media’s fault for pushing a specific ‘Gender Conformities’ and Body Image beliefs that little girls see all over the place- Even if they aren’t using the internet or Social Media.

When I was a little girl, My mother would take me out grocery shopping and we’d shop for an hour in the circus that is the food store, I’d be exhausted and my mom would sit me in the shopping cart, And as we got to the check out I’d be eye level with the magazines- All I could see were scandals and women with waists smaller than mine (And I was a child)- I had absolutely no chance in not seeing ‘Barbie Perfection’ as something to strive for.

People like Lili Reinhart and Selena Gomez have called out the press and magazine editors for making them look ‘skinnier than they are’ and having any conventional ‘Blemishes’ removed and painted over to match what the magazines and the ‘public’ believed to be conventional beauty.

As a child I loved old movies, Old Hollywood and movie stars- My favorite celebrity was Marilyn Monroe by the time I was four. I’m not saying my parents did anything wrong, I love the Classics and classic beauty.

-And my mother raised me to love myself as I am, Something that social media doesn’t do enough. Young girls all over the world get cinched waists and makeup thrown in their faces, Some even go to the extremes of butchering themselves to look like the celebrities who spent millions to get the face they loved, Even photoshopping further to make the ‘Perfect’- ‘Complete perfection’.

When I was younger, I would scroll through instagram and pray one day I would wake up and look like one of the ‘K’ name branded television stars.

It wasn’t until I got older, Wiser, And frankly more confident that I realised, The way these women changed their bodies to the point where they aren’t recognizable from their original faces, They weren’t anything to admire.

The youngest of the franchise attempted to ‘Convince’ the public that her lips were natural and that she just grew up- Something that caused a trend which ended in serious injuries to an uncountable amount of- For lack of a better term ‘Kids’.

For years she stuck to the same story, and it wasn’t until years later that she came clean about Plastic surgery.

I’m not judging her for doing what she wants with her own body! Look at her go! Taking her own power and loving herself! However, When you ignore the ‘influence’ you have on others and then ignore when your ‘influence’ hurts them- You are no longer female empowerment, You’re part of the problem.

I will never tear other women down- Especially when they ‘Make their own success’ However, As a woman who grew up in America with the rise of social media and body shaming (About the only thing we have in common)- You would think that she would be more aware about how celebrities influence the youth.

Magazine’s continual efforts to make the women on their covers ‘Barbie Perfect' Only continues the vicious cycle of young girls thinking they're not good enough- And the Celebrities who let people think it's okay only encourages the bad behavior.