Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of all?

Shejuti is a 27 year old executive working for two years at a reputed company. Because of her nine to five job, she peeks at a mirror less but is more consumed with the digital screens; which by the way is a sanctum of her friends and social media influencers flaunting their filtered bodies and faces. Although she never had the urge to undertake any drastic procedures, the urge to be trendy haunted her. At last, one fine day, she went back home, glanced at the mirror, and started searching online for beauty clinics to board the trend ship.

From fantasy stories to reality, the standard of beauty has been evolving like all other aspects of life. During the fifteenth century, renaissance women used cosmetics and devoted much time for their hair. Conversely, men became symbols of power. They flaunted their power through their obese physique. During the eighteenth century, women became more modest by concealing their breasts. Medications became the desired salvation to rejuvenate their bodies. During the twentieth century, the invention of machines brought about a new beauty, the beauty of consumption. Fashion canons represented the beauty of consumption by posing for pictures in magazines and billboards; starring in runway shows, movies, television shows, and commercials. Consumers were bombarded by the propaganda made public by fashion canons. Consumers wore designer jeans and clothing and made up their hair and makeup to resemble the model on a glossy magazine cover. Mass media brought upon a new mode of beauty attention.

Negative body image has been a topic of intense debate amongst men and women of all ages since sixth century BC. Body image is a multidimensional concept that widely describes the internal and subjective perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviours about an individual's appearance. Individuals strive to be accepted by his or her peers, such as by having the "right" hair, body, clothing, and essentially anything that is considered acceptable by their peers. When rejected by his or her peers, individuals being subjected to constant daily teasing and torment, especially at a young delicate age, slowly changes his or her patterns of behaviour. These factors can lead the victim to isolate themselves and adopt extreme diet restrictions and unhealthy weight control practices, cosmetic surgery, aesthetic procedures, etc.

Today, society relies on social and mass media more than ever, as users are now hyper active. Media sources have a very important relationship with an individual as they have the unique ability to connect the individual with an abundance of information, such as an image one desires, news, fake news, celebrities, friends, family, online communities, and more.

The individual has the power to constantly ask, "Why a Negative Body Image?" 

Both avenues have influence over the way the individual perceives him or herself and the desire to become what society presents as the ideal persona. The impact of social comparison to thin models in advertisements creates a negative face, body perceptions. Negative body perception is likely to be found while comparing oneself to extremely thin models. Negative perceptions transfer to the individual via social media, mass media, technology, and by peers by shaming and bullying individuals with undesirable characteristics. Hence, using filters on mobile phone apps to going through different aesthetic/cosmetic surgery at an early age has become very common and trendy in Dhaka. There are so many salons, spas that are offering these services without proper experts or doctors that it is something to be a concerned about. If someone needs it, wants it, and at the right age, it's his or her wish, but when young ladies in their mid-20s get interested, they are losing their natural youth, natural beauty, and not to mention these procedures have to be maintained regularly, and not a one-time thing.

The constant access to media brings body image concerns to the forefront now more than ever. Mass media and social media has enabled the frequency of social comparisons. An individual can face harsh judgments towards him or her when images are encountered, which facilitate obsessive grazing or unenthusiastic thoughts and emotions. We can see that on the comment sections of the social media influencers to celebrity posts, that can categorically be called cyberbullying!

Will graceful ageing soon become a myth to the society?

Art: Tanziral Dilshad Ditan