The Impact of Modern Social Media on Women’s Appearance Anxiety
Research Article
Open Access
CC BY

The Impact of Modern Social Media on Women’s Appearance Anxiety

Qian Xu 1*
1 Minhang Crosspoint High School
*Corresponding author: 2784860395@qq.com
Published on 16 September 2025
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CHR Vol.77
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-347-5
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-348-2
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Abstract

In recent years, the rapid expansion of modern social media platforms has profoundly reshaped how individuals perceive and evaluate physical appearance. This paper examines the influence of social media on women’s appearance anxiety, defined as persistent worry or dissatisfaction about one’s physical appearance, often linked to psychological distress. The research aims to investigate how digital environments contribute to heightened beauty-related concerns and the underlying mechanisms that exacerbate these anxieties. Using a combined approach of literature analysis and case study examination, the paper synthesizes existing empirical evidence and analyzes real-world examples from widely used platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. The findings reveal that the highly visual nature of social media, coupled with algorithm-driven content distribution, intensifies exposure to idealized beauty standards and promotes continuous comparison with peers. This contributes to the increased self-awareness and bodily image insecurity women experience. Recommendations incorporate media literacy education, regulation on platform design, and the promotion of campaigns to product diversity and authentic representations of beauty.

Keywords:

social media, appearance anxiety, women, body image

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Xu,Q. (2025). The Impact of Modern Social Media on Women’s Appearance Anxiety. Communications in Humanities Research,77,48-52.

References

[1]. Kemp, S. (2024). Digital 2024 Global Overview Report. DataReportal. Retrieved from https: //datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report

[2]. Fardouly, J., & Vartanian, L. R. (2016). Social media and body image concerns: Current research and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 1–5. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.09.005

[3]. Stice, E., et al. (2000). Body-image disturbance and eating pathology: Prospective effects and mediating mechanisms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(3), 438–444.

[4]. Sheldon, P., & Bryant, K. (2016). Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism and contextual age. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 89–97.

[5]. Manovich, L. (2017). Instagram and contemporary image culture, (pp. 101–120).

[6]. Bucher, T., & Helmond, A. (2018). The affordances of social media platforms. In The SAGE Handbook of Social Media (pp. 45–62).

[7]. Cohen, R., & Blaszczynski, A. (2015). Appearance-based social media use and body dissatisfaction: The moderating effect of internalization and social comparison. Body Image, 15, 81–88.

[8]. Statista. (2024). Number of monthly active Instagram users worldwide from January 2013 to June 2024. Retrieved from https: //www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/

[9]. Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2014). NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook, and body image concern in adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47(6), 630–643.

[10]. Fardouly, J., et al. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38–45.

[11]. Grabe, S., et al. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), 460–476.

[12]. Sorice, S. C., et al. (2019). Influences of social media on cosmetic surgery requests. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 39(8), 942–949.

[13]. Draelos, Z. D. (2018). The Instagram face. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 17(6), 996–997.

[14]. Abidin, C. (2020). The Glow Up Challenge on TikTok and the culture of transformation. Social Media + Society. https: //doi.org/10.1177/2056305120963863

[15]. Tiggemann, M., & Zaccardo, M. (2018). “Exercise to be fit, not skinny”: The effect of fitspiration imagery on women's body image. Body Image, 26, 90–97.

[16]. Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social media use and body image disturbances: The mediating role of internalization and social comparison. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(11), 693–699.

[17]. Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.

[18]. Fardouly, J., et al. (2017). Social media and body image: Recent advances and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 1–5.

[19]. Homan, K. J., et al. (2012). Self-objectification and appearance anxiety: A cognitive-affective model of body dissatisfaction. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36(3), 269–281.

[20]. Vogel, E. A., et al. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(4), 206–222.

[21]. Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T.-A. (1997). Objectification theory. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173–206.

[22]. Myers, S. A., & Crowther, J. H. (2008). Social comparison as a predictor of body dissatisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117(4), 751–764.

[23]. Jeong, S. H., et al. (2020). Effects of media literacy interventions on adolescents’ body image: A meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(12), 2454–2472.

[24]. Yager, Z., & O'Dea, J. A. (2014). Prevention programs for body image and eating disorders on social media: A systematic review. Body Image, 11(2), 125–136.

[25]. Hendrickse, J., et al. (2017). Instagram and college women’s body image: Investigating the roles of appearance-related comparisons and intrasexual competition. Computers in Human Behavior, 74, 92–100.

[26]. Facebook (Meta) Community Standards Updates (2023). https: //transparency.meta.com/policies/community-standards/

[27]. European Commission (2024). Digital Services Act: Regulating online content transparency. https: //digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act

References

[1]. Kemp, S. (2024). Digital 2024 Global Overview Report. DataReportal. Retrieved from https: //datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report

[2]. Fardouly, J., & Vartanian, L. R. (2016). Social media and body image concerns: Current research and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 1–5. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.09.005

[3]. Stice, E., et al. (2000). Body-image disturbance and eating pathology: Prospective effects and mediating mechanisms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(3), 438–444.

[4]. Sheldon, P., & Bryant, K. (2016). Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism and contextual age. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 89–97.

[5]. Manovich, L. (2017). Instagram and contemporary image culture, (pp. 101–120).

[6]. Bucher, T., & Helmond, A. (2018). The affordances of social media platforms. In The SAGE Handbook of Social Media (pp. 45–62).

[7]. Cohen, R., & Blaszczynski, A. (2015). Appearance-based social media use and body dissatisfaction: The moderating effect of internalization and social comparison. Body Image, 15, 81–88.

[8]. Statista. (2024). Number of monthly active Instagram users worldwide from January 2013 to June 2024. Retrieved from https: //www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/

[9]. Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2014). NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook, and body image concern in adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47(6), 630–643.

[10]. Fardouly, J., et al. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38–45.

[11]. Grabe, S., et al. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), 460–476.

[12]. Sorice, S. C., et al. (2019). Influences of social media on cosmetic surgery requests. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 39(8), 942–949.

[13]. Draelos, Z. D. (2018). The Instagram face. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 17(6), 996–997.

[14]. Abidin, C. (2020). The Glow Up Challenge on TikTok and the culture of transformation. Social Media + Society. https: //doi.org/10.1177/2056305120963863

[15]. Tiggemann, M., & Zaccardo, M. (2018). “Exercise to be fit, not skinny”: The effect of fitspiration imagery on women's body image. Body Image, 26, 90–97.

[16]. Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social media use and body image disturbances: The mediating role of internalization and social comparison. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(11), 693–699.

[17]. Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.

[18]. Fardouly, J., et al. (2017). Social media and body image: Recent advances and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 1–5.

[19]. Homan, K. J., et al. (2012). Self-objectification and appearance anxiety: A cognitive-affective model of body dissatisfaction. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36(3), 269–281.

[20]. Vogel, E. A., et al. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(4), 206–222.

[21]. Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T.-A. (1997). Objectification theory. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173–206.

[22]. Myers, S. A., & Crowther, J. H. (2008). Social comparison as a predictor of body dissatisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117(4), 751–764.

[23]. Jeong, S. H., et al. (2020). Effects of media literacy interventions on adolescents’ body image: A meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(12), 2454–2472.

[24]. Yager, Z., & O'Dea, J. A. (2014). Prevention programs for body image and eating disorders on social media: A systematic review. Body Image, 11(2), 125–136.

[25]. Hendrickse, J., et al. (2017). Instagram and college women’s body image: Investigating the roles of appearance-related comparisons and intrasexual competition. Computers in Human Behavior, 74, 92–100.

[26]. Facebook (Meta) Community Standards Updates (2023). https: //transparency.meta.com/policies/community-standards/

[27]. European Commission (2024). Digital Services Act: Regulating online content transparency. https: //digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act

Cite this article

Xu,Q. (2025). The Impact of Modern Social Media on Women’s Appearance Anxiety. Communications in Humanities Research,77,48-52.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of ICADSS 2025 Symposium: Consciousness and Cognition in Language Acquisition and Literary Interpretation

ISBN: 978-1-80590-347-5(Print) / 978-1-80590-348-2(Online)
Editor: Yanhua Qin
Conference website: https://2025.icadss.org/Beijing.html
Conference date: 20 October 2025
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.77
ISSN: 2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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