The Distortion Of Beauty Through Social Media
There is beauty all around us. It’s everywhere all at once. But what is beauty? Isn’t it strange how one singular word can hold so much meaning, in such a way that it has no definitive definition? Yet somehow, we manage to build bars around beauty, constructing strict social conventions of attraction. We have been blinded by the brightness of our screens; engrossed so deeply in a virtual world where we see so much of others, that we fail to see our own, unique beauty.
Our eyes are turning square, and our brains are being wired to believe the unrealistic standards of this technological reality, so much so that our generation is facing a momentous decline in the confidence and self-esteem of 16 to 25 year olds in the UK, as of 2023 (according to Prince’s Trust NatWest Youth Index 2023).
This detrimental decline is inextricably linked to social media, which uses influencers as puppets, paying them to publicise this delusive depiction of their appearance and lifestyle, further commissioning the decay of our sense of reality and the descent of mental health in young adults all over the country. As of now, this has become a rapidly rising concern due to the ruinous fact that the number of people using social media- in the UK- has risen by 4.6 million, as of 2025. This clearly illustrates how this is an addiction; an addiction which will inevitably take over and become all-consuming, if change is not made.
Picture this: you’re sitting on your bed, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. 10 minutes pass by, then 20, then 30. You look up and realise one whole hour has gone, misspent by absorbing the perpetual posts of the media, ignorantly consuming the superficial lives of hundreds of people. Girls with flat stomachs, small waists and tiny noses circle round your brain, and boys with perfect skin, toned muscles and strong jawlines are at the forefront of your mind. But this is not reality. Our world has advanced in a way where AI tools and editing websites have become normalised yet undisclosed, fabricating unrealistic norms which thousands use to compare their own beauty.
Alike to the growth in social media, the growth of AI companies has drastically increased by 58%, compared to 2023, which not only insinuates the two factors are intrinsically linked, but further emphasises how the lines between our reality and a technological one are blurring more and more, each and every day.
Now let me ask you again- what is beauty?
Niamh O’Donnell
https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/about-us/news-views/princestrustnatwestyouthindex2023
United Kingdom (UK) Social Media Statistics 2025 | Most Popular Platforms – The Global Statistics
UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Statistics And Trends In 2025 – Forbes Advisor UK
