
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON BEAUTY STANDARDS
Influencers and celebrities play a significant role in shaping our ideas of beauty, with K-pop idols, lifestyle and beauty brands associating with these figures to appeal to consumers. Beauty filters and edited images on social media have become potent tools for shaping contemporary beauty standards, with trending filters coaxing users to follow the trend portraying an unrealistic social reality, leading to a low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction, costing society about $800 billion annually. To keep up with the latest trends, cosmetic surgery has become increasingly popular among the younger generations, with many turning to these procedures to align with perceived beauty standards. Is our pursuit of ideals simply a result of the social reality we exist in?