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Monday, March 3, 2025

The Role of Social Media and Technology in Reinforcing or Challenging Beauty Standards

Social Media Beauty 

A conceptual illustration showing the influence of social media and technology on beauty standards, featuring diverse individuals, digital filters, and AI elements.






Introduction

The dialectical interplay between social media, technological advancements, and contemporary beauty standards has precipitated a fundamental reconfiguration of aesthetic discourses. While digital platforms ostensibly promote self-expression and inclusivity, they simultaneously entrench a hegemonic aesthetic paradigm that perpetuates unattainable ideals, thereby exerting profound implications on self-perception, mental well-being, and sociocultural identity. The integration of algorithmic content curation, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven beautification tools, and the hyper-commercialisation of aesthetic industries has engendered a paradox wherein authenticity and digital perfection exist in perpetual tension.