**6. Conclusions**

online media, such as scrolling through newsfeeds and profiles, commenting on other users' posts, seeing who else has liked/commented/endorsed posts, or creating and uploading their own content, it is difficult to tease apart exactly how online media are related to perceptions of beauty. Researchers have started to use various research methods to study the link between online media exposure and appearance concerns (e.g. qualitative data, correlational studies, and experimental simulated social media use) that may or may not be analogous to how people use social media in the real world. For instance, researchers have begun to bring social media into the laboratory for study. When women passively view mock social media profiles versus models in magazines, there appears to be no difference between the media types in terms of subsequent increases in appearance comparison and body image dissatisfaction [22]. Although some researchers find that adolescent girls' time spent on the Internet is positively correlated with internalization of the thin ideal, body surveillance, and drive for thinness, experimental studies suggest that mere exposure to one's own social media account does not

negatively or immediately impact young women's appearance concerns [23–31].

overlook the notion that other users have done the same.

152 Perception of Beauty

One of the unique aspects of social media, versus traditional media, is that they are made up of communication with peers and/or public figures. It is the elements of interactivity and connectedness that make social media distinct from other media forms and rife with opportu‐ nities for users to perceive, compare, and internalize standards of beauty. Traditional media literacy efforts may have helped people think critically about how photos of models and celebrities are frequently edited by advertisers and editors, and how they display completely unrealistic standards of beauty. However, social media platforms expose users to photos of real‐world peers, which may dissuade people from critically analyzing the images they see on social media. In truth, users can present their ideal selves through editing, enhancing, and embellishing their online images and appearance. More research is needed to determine whether social media users engage in selective presentation of their own appearance, but

People can engage in a variety of behaviors related to perceptions of beauty in online forms of media. Examples include taking multiple selfies and choosing to post only the flattering pho‐ tos, using camera filters to enhance the appearance of a person's face, and photo‐shopping body parts to make them appear thinner. Research is just starting to examine the relations between these types of self‐presentation strategies on social media and well‐being (body image and appearance self‐esteem) among women. A study of online dating website users found that individuals commonly managed their online profile by posting selfies of which they felt especially proud [32]. It is not yet known whether self‐presentation strategies like photo enhancement actually improve body image and appearance self‐esteem (by allowing users to present an idealized version of themselves to others) or whether they worsen appear‐ ance concerns because they perpetuate an evaluation of and focus on physical appearance.

It seems that people who post photos of themselves on social media probably do so when they feel *good* about their appearance. Indeed, research suggests that the use of social media pre‐ dicts subsequent body dissatisfaction and not the other way round [33]. It could be, however, that social media users post photos of themselves when they feel especially good about their appearance, but that they end up feeling worse about their appearance in the longer term One of the ways in which the media affect perceptions of beauty is through the use of very thin and attractive models, known as the thin ideal, which reinforces the idea that 'thin is beautiful'. We summarized the research literature on the mass media, both traditional media and online social media, and how they appear to interact with psychological factors to impact appearance concerns and body image disturbances. While correlational studies show a clear link between exposure to thin ideal media images and body dissatisfaction, the results of experimental studies are more mixed. The most reliable finding in the literature is that expo‐ sure to thin media images makes women want to be thinner. In other words, there is strong support for the idea that traditional forms of media (e.g. magazines, music videos) affect perceptions of beauty and appearance concerns by leading women to internalize a very slen‐ der body type as ideal or beautiful. We further suggest that the media affect their audiences by influencing perceived beauty norms, thereby skewing perceptions of reality (and not just fantasy or inspiration). Experimental findings demonstrate that perceptions of what is consid‐ ered to be 'average' influence how individuals feel about their own bodies and appearance. Rather than simply being passive recipients of unrealistic beauty ideals communicated to them via the media, many individuals actually seek out idealized images in the media. In a recent set of experimental studies, we found that women who were primed to feel unhappy about their bodies were actually more likely to choose to expose themselves to media featur‐ ing thin, beautiful models. This idea has received virtually no research attention to date but is important, as it highlights the complexity of people's relationships to beauty ideals. Finally, there is a need for an even better understanding of the role of more modern forms of social media in impacting society's perceptions of beauty and notions of idealized physical forms. These new forms of media are changing the way in which people internalize standards of beauty and the ways in which they try to control others' perceptions of their appearance. Online media involvement is more interactive than traditional media, and the effects of self‐ presentation strategies on perceptions of beauty have just begun to be studied. Social media represent an emerging area of research that is of high relevance to researchers and clinicians interested in body image and appearance concerns.
