PART 2: Do Background Research on the Topic of Your Own Digital Narrative Game:
“Beyond the Surface” – Research on Beauty Standards by Tamara and Joyce:
“Authoethnography” research
Social Media Beauty Standards:
This is based on my, Joyce’s research in core1010: My part challenges the idea that beauty is solely about looks, believing true beauty comes from within. I’ll highlight how social media promotes unrealistic standards, leading to negative impacts on mental health. I’ll be taking control for taking control of our social media feeds and promoting diverse beauty ideals. Encouraging self-love and acceptance, emphasizing that everyone is inherently beautiful in their own unique way.
Real-Life Beauty Standards:
In real life, what’s considered beautiful can change depending on where you are and who you’re with. “Our minds shapes how we understand everything” Different cultures have different ideas about beauty. Sometimes, what’s in movies or ads can influence what people think is attractive. People might also feel pressure from their friends or family to look a certain way. How someone dresses and takes care of themselves can affect how they’re seen by others. In real life, I, as Tamara, will be sharing insights gained from my experiences with pageantry and etiquette learning. This taught me a lot about presenting myself to certain standards of beauty and behavior. They emphasized the importance of confidence and grooming in making a positive impression. Additionally, practicing with my coaches shed light on societal expectations and the importance of maintaining a good appearance in several social settings.
Survey and Feedback:
The survey will ask questions about how people use social media, what they think about beauty, and how they feel about themselves. After answering, people will get feedback about their answers. This will help them see how they feel about beauty standards and how they see themselves. The goal is to help people think more about how they feel and maybe feel better about themselves.
Our game, Joyce and Tamara will be very enjoyable yet with an outcome, it will be divided into two parts considering the experiences of both men and women.
Research:
What is real beauty? Is it having the perfect body? Pretty face? Light skin? Or Long hair?
I believe true beauty is inner beauty. It comes directly from the heart and goes far beyond just physical appearances. Real beauty is the person you truly are. It comes from how you make decisions, view the world, and handle others. What makes us beautiful is what we offer. People are offering on social media their photographs which are often all false. Pictures are cropped, edited, and filtered so that they fit the beauty standards on social media. Posts are made to generate attention and are made to manipulate us.
I believe social media created this bubble of how real beauty revolves around physical attractiveness. Subconsciously, we start to relate ourselves to models from Instagram and magazine covers. So, we try to reach these expectations set on social media by changing how we look to fit in. so we start to battle. And in return, we face mental health issues like depression and eating disorders. Only so we can fit in the bubble of “real beauty”. Trying to fit in can cause hurting more than healing as we begin to think negatively of how we look and develop this poor image of ourselves.
I believe that the gap between real beauty and ideal beauty keeps getting bigger. It is time for us to make a change. Social media has a huge effect on our lives; however, we do not recognize that we are the ones who have full control over it. If a specific model or influencer affects us negatively, then we must unfollow them. This allows us to take small steps towards finding inner peace and happiness. It is acting which will make a change. Start small, then go big. Of course, one day, I would wish for influencers to promote real beauty. Their platforms can create a huge change in the world. Raising awareness of different types of beauty, whether it’s grey hair, dark skin, curvy bodies, or textured skin, will give positive messages to the audience.
To anyone who ever felt unconfident, discouraged, or insecure about the way they look. We’ve all encountered this feeling before. You are not alone. Remember that everyone is beautiful in their way. God created everyone as a unique piece. Each one of us is perfect in god’s eyes. By focusing on him, we will find our reflection of real beauty, which can never be distorted, changed, or modified. It is who we are. It is how we are created. Never underestimate yourself. Love yourself.
Works cited:
https://psychcentral.com/health/how-the-media-affects-body-image#negative-effects
“I believe all types of beauty are truly beautiful.” (Peng)
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