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The photograph does not have to tell a person that they are unattractive. Repeatedly showing them who is considered beautiful can be enough.

For more than a century, fashion and beauty photographs have placed particular bodies, faces, clothes and lifestyles in front of enormous audiences. The pattern matters because photographs do not simply show appearance. They provide reference points against which appearance can be judged.

The consequences reach beyond fashion.

Research has repeatedly found that exposure to appearance-focused imagery can influence how people evaluate their own bodies. A meta-analysis of experimental and longitudinal research found that exposure to appearance-ideal images produced a significant negative effect on body image. Appearance-focused social media can intensify the process because viewers are not only looking at images; they are comparing themselves with them. “375 words to go. A donation keeps you reading and supports our independence. Thank you!”

By Edge of Humanity Magazine