Social Media's Effect on Men's Body Image

Social Media's Effect on Men's Body Image
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Social Media's Effect on Men's Body Image
Body image entails how individuals perceive, think, and feel about their bodies. In recent years, researchers have assessed the negative impacts of social media on body image. Men are subjected to social media pressure to look in a particular way. The pressure has grown significantly in the last decade as men are pressured to look lean, muscled, and with six-packs. Many men start fitness regimes and exercise regularly to achieve the ideal to meet the growing pressure. Through the influence of social media, there are numerous positive effects on men's body image.
The growth in social media use makes many people perceive, think, and feel differently about their bodies. Sportsmen are among the people with many followers on many social media platforms. As men engage with content from these sportsmen, they usually compare their body image with the outlook portrayed by these people. Social media provide individuals with something to compare themselves with, and they always intend to match this image. Young men aspiring to be athletes usually consume content from established sportsmen (Burtka, 2019). As they consume the content, they feel the pressure to achieve a similar masculine look, which is perceived as an exhibition of power, strength, discipline, and commitment to sportsmanship.
The first positive influence sportsmen have on young men aspiring to be athletes is the urge to work hard and attain a similar masculine and lean body. In this regard, men subscribe to particular exercise and fitness regimes to build their muscles. Growing muscles also require specific diets to ensure consistency in growth. Therefore, men are usually pressured to follow specific diet regimens to enhance their body image (Holtermann, 2022). These are positive influences that improve fitness and proper body health. Through the social media image portrayed by sportsmen, young men aspiring to be at...