The Toll of Social Judgement on Size
For many women, the pressure to meet society’s unrealistic beauty standards leads to more than just physical discomfort—it weighs heavily on their mental health. Social judgment around weight can cause feelings of inadequacy, shame, and stress. The stigma of being overweight often contributes to anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression.
Women constantly face criticism, not just from the media but often from society as a whole. This unrelenting scrutiny can make even daily tasks like eating in public or exercising feel like moments of judgment.
How Magazines Shaped Women's Body Image
The pressure for women to be slim began in post-war Britain, with women’s weekly magazines encouraging them promoting dieting as a key to beauty and success. This cultural messaging, often driven by men in media and advertising, tied a woman’s worth to her appearance. Today, this pressure continues on social media, amplifying the same unrealistic ideals that have persisted for decades.
Size Zero Commands the Highest Price
In a world where beauty is defined by impossibly thin bodies, the pressure on women to conform is overwhelming. Recent events like Paris Fashion Week, where models with skeletal frames walk the runway, remind us that the standard for beauty remains dangerously unrealistic.
It’s a reflection of a culture that starts as early as childhood. From a young age, girls are given Barbie dolls with unrealistic female bodies, reinforcing the message that thinner is better.
The Cost of Fitting In
Several reports have highlighted that the damaging effects of exposing, particularly teenage girls to image-based platforms and how they are more likely to have poor body image. If you’re constantly bombarded with those images, it is going to alter your perceptions of yourself, especially during adolescence when the female body undergoes significant physical and emotional transformation.
“Social media has a clear link with mental health problems among young people, particularly among girls. Higher use is associated with worse wellbeing and lower self-esteem, with teenagers being constantly exposed to unrealistic body standards that they are unlikely to achieve”
Social media plays a huge role in amplifying these harmful standards. Young girls are constantly exposed to filtered, altered images of "perfection" that can lead to body shame and feelings of inadequacy. Studies have shown a correlation between the pressure to be thin and rising rates of mental health issues among young women, including eating disorders and depression. Shockingly, there has been a rise in suicides among girls and young women, driven in part by body image pressures and online bullying.
Challenging Our Worth
We must acknowledge the damage caused by these impossible ideals. It’s time to question the media, the fashion industry, and the social platforms that continue to promote these harmful messages. Our self-worth should never be measured by a number on a scale or the size of our clothes. Despite the rise of the body positivity movement, thinness is still revered. The question remains: how do we stop passing this obsession with appearance to the next generation? It’s time to recognise that our worth is so much more than our looks.
If you’re ready to explore how we can truly change this conversation, sign up for my newsletter to get exclusive insights and early access to my Behind the Book series, where we’ll continue to challenge the dieting narratives that shape our lives.
