Americans are becoming increasingly obsessed with their appearance, and experts are concerned about its impact on the nation's mental health.
“We're spending more time, effort, energy and resources on our appearance than ever before, no matter our age. It's kind of unparalleled,” says the director of Behavioral Health in Oak Park. said Dr. Colleen Sheila, a psychologist and founder of the Sheila Center for.
Shira saw this phenomenon unfold while working with clients.
“When we're not feeling well, when we're sad, when we're scared, when we're feeling angry, whatever, it's easier than ever to reach for something to distract ourselves, right? ?And the beauty industry has so much to offer us that we can reach for, whether it's a selfie with a filter or a new eyeshadow or lipstick,'' Sheila said.
It’s even easier if it’s the type of content that fills your social media feeds.
Many parents are concerned about the impact social media is having on teens, and a Pew Center survey of parents of children ages 13 to 17 in Spring 2022 found that 28% of parents “I am very or very concerned that social media use by teens may cause problems.'' Accompanied by anxiety and depression. ”
But what about the effects on adults? Shira said she is not aware of any studies that specifically target adults, but in her practice she sees that the obsession with perfection and appearance also affects adult women. There is.
“We forgot about middle-aged women. They would just become invisible,” said Sheila. “Thankfully now we're not forgetting about women, middle-aged women and women over 40, but it's almost tilted towards women not being able to escape these pressures.”
“Social media is often simply a reflection of how we act in our daily lives,” says Mindset Coach and author of Want Your Self: Shift Your Self-Talk and says Katie Horwich, author of “Unearth the Strength in Who You.'' We were together forever. ”
“Negative self-talk has nothing to do with age,” Horwich says, adding that casual negativity can creep in and control us. “Putting on filters, over-editing photos, and only posting the good stuff all come from our self-talk: 'I have to do this, I have to do this.' What are we telling ourselves to think?”
With “before” and “after” photos all over social media feeds, NBC Chicago investigated some of the trending surgeries and spoke with Chicago board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Amir Drafshar about a few… We asked him about his thoughts on this important surgery. trend. Lauren Petty reports.
To avoid such behavior, Horwich offers recommendations.
“We have to go beyond the words we speak and the talk part of our self-talk, into the 'self' part and ask, 'Where do these beliefs come from?'” she says.
When NBC Chicago's Lauren Petty asked Sheila how that process begins, she said it begins with awareness.
“I think it starts with noticing how often we want to answer the phone or whatever it is. For plastic surgery, how often do we look up surgeons in the area? Social When it comes to media, how often do we scroll? Whatever it is, it's something we do to avoid feeling. So just sitting with that feeling is a really powerful first step. It’s a step forward,” Sheila said.
For us all to embrace the way we look, Sheila said: People recognize us,” Sheila said.
“I want to continue to feel exactly how I feel. I feel powerful. I feel beautiful,” said Naperville resident Ximena Surez Vavra.
NBC Chicago's new series “The Price of Beauty” looks at the health and wellness industry and how to become more knowledgeable patients and consumers, with Alison Rosati sharing what's next.
Vavra decided to grow old the way she wanted. She has had liposuction, breast implants and Botox injections, she said. She also got her lip blush tattoo after seeing it on her social media.
“I saw this girl do it and I thought, 'Oh, I wanted to do that too, and I did it,'” Vavra said.
Vavra insists the process is empowering, but also says social media has some influence.
“Yes, there is a little bit of that, but I think more than that, what made me make that decision is what I want to feel within myself,” Vavra said.
As she ponders her future plastic surgery, Vavra said she is doing it for herself and no one else.
“I like the way I looked before surgery, but I just wanted to look better,” Vavra said.
