Appearance Pressures and Social Media

Social media platforms and their apps are overflowing with trends and tips related to appearance. While scrolling through this content, it’s easy to notice how viewing such images can stir up insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. Yet, makeup tutorials, shopping hauls, and core workout videos can feel as irresistible as honey to a bear. Why is it that social media images both fascinate and distress us at the same time?

Appearance pressures have been identified in youth surveys as one of the biggest challenges affecting young people's well-being in relation to smartphone and social media use. At the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL), we wanted to address this topic and help young people process the thoughts and pressures sparked by appearance-focused content on social media. The material we’ve created also supports teachers and other professionals working with youth.

The material published on MLL’s Nuortennetti website is divided into two parts: the first part dives into appearance-related content on social media, while the second provides strategies and tools to cope with appearance pressures.

This material was developed in collaboration with postdoctoral researcher Kaisu Hynnä-Granberg from the University of Turku.