The rise of social media has changed the world significantly. By opening up just a couple of apps on your smartphone, you can get a peek into the lives of practically anyone, from your favorite celebrity to a college acquaintance you haven’t seen in years. While this can make you feel more connected to the world and those in it, it can also invite a host of comparisons that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
Why Do We Need Body Positivity?
The simultaneous beauty and downfall of social media are that an individual can curate their image so that their profile only shows the best parts of their life. The recent influx of influencers on social media platforms, who make their living by creating a social media presence to which the average person aspires, has added an extra level of pressure on anyone who starts scrolling through their feed. It’s no wonder that a staggering 42% of women say that they feel worse about their bodies because of social media. With idealistic images of models laying on beaches, it’s practically impossible to protect your own body image from taking a hit.
The best protection comes from following accounts that fight against these unrealistic images. Just as countless blogs have cropped up that show thin people providing “fitspiration” by working out every day, people of varying sizes, ages, abilities, and skin colors are posting inspirational messages of their own to show that there’s more in this world than toned and tanned models. The resulting spread of body positivity has started to show people how to love the skin that they’re in.
Better yet, the ability to spread this message isn’t limited to individuals on social media. Organizations and brands of all varieties can join in on the positivity by utilizing a few key strategies on their social media platforms.
Hashtagging
As much as some people may be tired of hearing the phrase “hashtag,” the little symbol is very effective in bringing people together and creating an easily accessible community. An individual looking to join in on a conversation can simply search a hashtag on platforms like Twitter and Instagram and find all the posts that contain that hashtag.
A company or brand can use hashtags in a number of different ways. The first is to jump in on the action of a hashtag that already exists. Popular hashtags that promote body positivity include #bodypositive and #loveyourbody. Alternatively, your brand could start a new social media campaign with a hashtag that encourages body positivity. Not only will this show that you support self-love in its many forms, but it can also create brand awareness as more and more people use the hashtag on their own accounts.
Advertise An Event On Social Media
Of course, not all changes in society’s perception of bodies can take place online. Throughout the year, various organizations host events that promote body positivity or bring awareness to an issue such as eating disorders. While the event may take place in person at a community center or other local venue, you can use social media to advertise the event and create excitement around it.
As an organization, you can either plan an event of your own from scratch or host one in conjunction with nationwide efforts. Organizations such as the National Eating Disorder Association often hold events during eating disorder awareness weeks. To bring this awareness to your own community, your brand could either hold a local event or run a social media campaign throughout that week.
Practice What You Preach
It’s great to see a brand verbalizing messages of body positivity, but the words will sound a bit hollow if the images you post aren’t supporting them. This follow-through is especially important on a platform like Instagram, which is completely based on the pictures that people post. Any brand that wants to promote body positivity on Instagram needs to ensure that the people they feature in their photos are as diverse as the actual human population.
Rather than sticking with the same models that plaster every social media platform, look for models who have different abilities, complexions, and figures. True body positivity comes when a person can look at themselves in the mirror and love what they see, but this can only happen if they see the unique parts of themselves reflected in the Instagram feed that they scroll through every day. You can help people create these positive associations by posting images that feature people who don’t fall in the outdated, cookie-cutter definition of beautiful.
No matter how small it may seem, everything on social media affects the lives of real people. By seeing messages and images of people loving themselves unconditionally, someone who doesn’t feel comfortable in their own body can start a journey towards acceptance. Help your company wield the power of social media for good by diving in the body positive movement on your active platforms.
Body Positivity Infographic by EdCare
See a related post: 3 Things Instagram Influencers Can Teach You About Building A Large Following
[Images – Main Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay; Infographic: EDCare; other images from their respective websites and/or social platforms]
Casey Ribek is the website manager for Eating Disorder Care, a site dedicated to breaking the stigma of eating disorders and bringing the message of body positivity and healthy self-image to everyone.