Teenage confidence and consumerism in the world of social media

The teenage years involve an avalanche of changes that our bodies go through, and for many, this includes an increase in acne and skin irritations. Insecurities stemming from skin issues are only intensified by social media and the consistent comparison– between their peers and the beauty standard of “perfect” skin– that teenagers have to deal with.

With touchup tools and Photoshop, social media sets standards that are unattainable for the majority of people, and women are most susceptible to this.

Catlin Gabel School (CGS) senior Lizzy Cook has always compared herself to others growing up with social media.

“When I was in middle school and as an underclassman, I was insecure,” said Cook. “I think social media played some role in that because I would see people with glowing skin and feel frustrated I could never achieve that.”

With touchup tools and Photoshop, social media sets standards that are unattainable for the majority of people, and women are most susceptible to this.

Senior Mikayla Stout, who for the most part has not felt insecure about her skin, felt like she was influenced in another way.

“I do use makeup, and when I was younger I think my motive was to feel valuable as a woman and grown up, and I felt the need to wear makeup every day,” explained Stout.

Stout herself has grown away from accepting these “standards.”

“I think social media has definitely informed how I feel about women needing to wear makeup or have flawless skin to be considered pretty by society, but as I have grown, I have stopped believing in this for the most part” she said.

The expectations of women to wear makeup, in order to look professional or more attractive, are intensified by the rise of social media, but they definitely aren’t new.

Portland resident Summer Street-Cox is 45 and did not have social media growing up, but she was influenced by a multitude of other media, including magazines, posters, commercials and TV.

“MTV was big, and we had teen magazines, just like Cosmo and Glamour. We went to the movies a lot and watched TV dramas like Dynasty and Magnum PI that showed us how women should behave and look,” explained Street-Cox.

Profitable advertising often stems from taking advantage of people’s insecurities and selling the product that could “fix” them. Josephine Gaied, a junior at Portland Community College, agrees.

“Social media amplifies insecurities in order to sell products. When I saw skin-related ‘before and after’ pictures, I always looked like the ‘before,’” said Gaied.

Companies are now using social media to promote their products to younger and younger ages. Influencers are sponsored to advertise brands and their followers then connect that brand or product to their idol. People who want to look more like that influencer can buy the band’s merchandise and “improve” themselves.

In their article “Young and in Love… With Lipstick and Eyeliner,” the New York Times writes, “Cosmetic companies are shifting ad dollars from traditional television and print platforms to Instagram and YouTube.”

A big example of shift is Kylie Jenner and her Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin companies. Jenner mainly uses her Instagram and YoTtube platforms to promote herself– and with her 201 million followers on Instagram and 9.88 million on YoutTube, why would she not? Instead of just seeing pictures of the TV star’s life, her followers are urged to buy her beauty and skin products. The question that comes up is whether it is ethical to use a personal account for advertisement exposure or whether the pressure to buy her products is harmful to her younger viewers.

Social media users cannot get away from this consumerism pressure, and young teens through adults are urged to purchase innumerable amounts of products every day.

In an article titled “Your friends’ social media posts are making you spend more money, researchers say,” the Washington Post claims,“Humans are social creatures, and we have a tendency to evaluate our own standing in life relative to how our friends and neighbors are doing.”

This perpetuates the idea of mass spending. “Because of this, when we see other people spending money, we have a tendency to think that we can — or should — be spending, too.”

This constant exposure to advertisements becomes a filter of materialism that drapes over all social media platforms and creates this new world of rapid consumerism.

Social media is a highlight reel of a person’s life. We only see the happy moments of someone’s life and the negative moments tend to stay off camera. Whether this is seeing someone post about their vacations, buying fancy clothes and food, or impeccable skin, we tend to internalize these and wonder why our life isn’t the same.

There are some positive aspects to social media platforms as well.

“I also think that there are upsides to learning about makeup and skincare from social media,” explained Stout. “I am by no means a makeup artist, but social media has also taught me everything I know about skincare and makeup, and inspired me to try fun new looks and products.”

Cook also found a positive aspect of social media.

“More recently, I actively seek out more diversity in the beauty I consume,” said Cook. “So, I look for accounts that accept flaws like acne but still look really good. I guess I like seeing the representation that you can look super hot (or whatever you want to look like) and still have acne or whatever else.”

In an interview with the brand Hero, Lea Alexandria– an Instagram influencer who promotes developing a healthy relationships with skin– said, “So many people struggle with acne at some point in their life, so I think there should be a lot more representation of it in the media.”

Alexandria thinks that we all can help.

“I think just sharing your journey and showing your imperfections and basically saying, ‘Hey this is me and that's okay’ is an amazing way to show other people that it's okay to have acne and it's not weird. It doesn't make you less of a person,” said Alexandria.

Social media creates a way for people to interact with each other which is important, especially during a pandemic, but it is good to be mindful about what you’re seeing– and what you’re not seeing– and how that affects you. Use social media cautiously, and remember that everyone is beautiful just the way they are.