Regular ANW bloggers RnR explore the negative effects of social media on body acceptance - and how naturism can work as the perfect antidote.
Accepting you, and how naturism can help.
By RnR of ANW.
We live in a modern world driven by media. From the moment we wake each day, we are bombarded with the perfect image of the perfect person, and let’s be really honest about it, none of us appear to fit into that image as we look in the mirror. We have all been there, we look and frown, and feel we are simply not good enough, and we feel that trickle of unhappiness flow deep within us.
We are RnR, members of the naturist site a naturist world, and as a married couple, we probably understand this more than most. As a husband who has worked within counselling, and a wife, who once suffered from a severe eating disorder, we have not only seen, but been impacted by the effects of all the negative messages within the social and mainstream media, and we feel, it is the most corrosive aspect of today’s modern society.
There is not a single person in the western hemisphere that is not attacked on a daily basis about their image, and as a result, people feel isolated, depressed and extremely unhappy. They live a life where they are constantly caught in a trap of guilt and low self-esteem, feeling they do not fit in, do not belong, and ashamed of who they are, and it is a heart-breaking reality to understand, that all of this pain and self-doubt, is simply down to ratings, and advertising income, and it is deliberately being done by all forms of media, to prop up a modern day ideal, that no human being can every live up to, and for what?
Simply put, profits! We are taught to hate who we naturally are, so that large corporations and media platforms can earn billions at our expense, and it has become so bad, that in 2020 the British Government decided to look into the problem, especially in regard to female self-image, and brought together the ‘Women’s and Equalities Committee,’ who conducted a survey, ‘Changing the Perfect Picture: an inquiry into body image.’
It is startling reading, that asks a lot of questions of all age groups, male and female, about how they really felt about their bodies, and what influences those feelings. It is far too long to add all of it here, but we have lifted some facts and figures, of which, you may understand and may agree is representative of you. It was conducted in July 2020, and 7878 participants actively filled in the survey, and provided responses, and also shared some of their stories of their true feelings, about their body and their relationship to it.
The thing that we as a couple felt most startled by, was to understand, that the modern media attacks the young equally as much, and school age children are a prime target who are exposed to body type images and statements that leave them struggling to understand why their body does not conform to societal standards. No age group is safe in the effort to acquire revenue from mainstream and social media, and messages are being implanted in us all from school age and upwards, no one is safe from the negatives of media, they are successfully targeting everyone, and their weapon of choice... SHAME!
The government survey included the following results.
65% of teens believe, there is an ideal body type. 45% of adults do too. Women, the disabled and transgender people are at a substantially higher risk experiencing negative body image.
71% of people with a disability reported feeling negative about their body, and 60% of people without a disability felt the same way. People reported negative experiences from health care workers who focus negatively on issues of weight gain and mental health, and people with disabilities reported they felt completely ignored.
In 2020, people reported that in the last 12 months 7 out of 10 adults felt anxious and shameful about their appearance, and less than 3 in every ten felt proud about the way they look. A few people commented on what did make them feel good.
“Less social media = Happier with my body.” (Woman 25 – 34)
“Positive social media influencers have helped me feel more confident about my body image.” (Woman aged 18 – 24)
“Since hosting my own life drawing sessions, I’ve come to realise that beauty comes in all shapes/sizes/genders/races. We have such a mixture of people and it’s made me appreciate my own body as well.” (Woman 25 – 34)
The message is quite clear, social media possibly more than any other media is harmful to body image, less social media reduces the impact, or positive social media helps build self-esteem, and a positive body image. Experiencing other bodies, that reflect the large spectrum of size/shape/gender/race, fuels a positive attitude and builds on self- acceptance, and yet most social media does not show that... Ask yourself why, and consider the point, and then ask, do we really take that much notice of social media?
The answer may surprise you. See the below chart taken from the report, and see for yourself.
It is a very sobering set of figures, as it reveals that actually, we spend far too much time looking at these forms of media, and as a couple we would ask, is this really good for health, wellbeing and body image? Below you can see how all that time is used by big business, and the sort of things they push at you, because they know you are captive and looking at your screen, and so the adverts are stacked and waiting.
If you feel bad about yourself, the media will show you the products to make you feel better, all at a cost of course, and the more you click on links, the more information about you is collected and sold to business for good revenues. It makes sense that all free social media platforms make a lot of money, and yet they offer access to their platforms for free, you have to ask, how does a free platform make billions of dollars every year, and the answer plain and simply is YOU.
They use algorithms to collect data on you, find your desires and weakness, and then sell it to the highest bidder, and suddenly, your whole feed, no matter where it is, be Facebook, or Amazon, Google of Apple, is filled with adverts tempting you to purchase, whilst using subtle insults to give just that little extra push you need to make the purchase. That is what an advert is, a subtle insult, yes, they use flattery in the sense of promising you that you could look like this, or be as attractive as that, but it is all fake, smoke and mirrors, and all designed to feed you with so much body negativity, you will spend cash. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the survey lists far more, and it is damaging society and the people they are supposed to care about. Here is another example that hit home hard with us, as we read the comment.
“It is horrendous that I am advertised weight loss products, and methods every single time I use social media. I have an eating disorder, and trying to recover, and actively curate my feed to try content that might be triggering. It is unacceptable that I should be faced with content that targets my illness.” (Woman 25 – 34)
It is clear that all the media with it’s photoshopped images, celebrity culture, censorship of real bodies, and targeted advertising is doing a lot of damage, and we are allowing it, by buying into their fake ideals and imagery, and whether we want to believe it or not, it has a massive impact on us as human beings, the diagram below is proof.
How do we overcome this, how do we break away from the false narrative of media and gain back our own sense of self, our true identity, not the fake reality fed to us daily through everything we see on a screen?
The answer is actually quite simple, and all it involves is a change of thought. Instead of fad foods, diets and exercise regimes, simply take a moment, to think. Remember your younger life, before the screens filled with imagery. Go back to those times where you were a curious and carefree child running around excited and happy and shedding your clothes and living for comfort, not conformity. Remember the natural you, and consider how that made you feel, and then start from scratch, and think about who you really are, that natural human being that loved life, for that is the start, and it can be a wonderful journey, and at the end, you make a decision, and that will be simply.
ACCEPT YOU!
Modern society and mainstream and social media do have a kryptonite, and it is something every single person has access to... It is your skin, the real you, the person you can be where no one else is looking. Advertisers use social media and mainstream media because it produces the greatest revenues, but what if you could combat that, what if there was a way to defeat their hold on you, would you use it?
We hope so, because you deserve to. The simple truth is that with just under seven billion people on the planet today, you actually have something that is so wonderful and amazing, you should be proud of it, and the crazy thing is, you got it at birth. Every single human being is a complete one off, none of us are the same, we know, we have looked. Your birthday suit is completely unique, it literally is designer, and it is exclusively yours forever, now that is something you should be proud of. Why hide it, why be ashamed of it, if it was a unique painting, you would hang it on the wall for the whole world to see?
Every single human body is beautiful and one of a kind, go take a look! There is no one else on Earth with your exact body type, which is why social media tries to make sure no one finds out, because that is not good for business.
In the above quotes, a young woman aged between 18 and 24 commented that some social media had “Positive influencers.” They are few and far between and not that easy to find on all the big sites, but as a couple we do not really need to look, because we know the best sites, we are on them, which is why we are writing this. It is a community filled with people who have suffered health issues, depression, eating disorders, abusive relationships, body negativity, and have found a way to overcome all of that, and the social media bias.
It has been reported that there are fifty million of us in Europe alone, those are just the ones we know about, and it is becoming the fastest growing area of tourism within the European Union They are known by one name. “Naturists.”
Naturists understand that the media is biased, and only in it to exploit our insecurities for the money. we realise that we are not shameful because we accept ourselves completely as we naturally are. We were designed to be naked, we evolved that way, it was agriculture that started the concept of trading for gain, and since that time, the human race has developed into what we see today as the modern world of capitalism, and we are no longer seen as humans, we have become nothing more than consumers
and a source of data to exploit.
Going back to nature, is going back to ourselves, our real selves, we reconnect with who we were meant to be, not who the world told us to be, and there is a huge raft of scientific information that backs it up.
When you are released from your clothing, your bio rhythms change, as your skin starts to breathe more efficiently, bacteria is destroyed on your skin by UV from the sunlight, and as a result the body tends to relax and settle down, moving your state of mind into calmness. Naked people sleep deeper and in a much more relaxed state, and when they awaken, they feel fresher and rejuvenated.
Psychology has done countless studies, that prove body image is instantly improved, as we catch slight glimpses of ourselves in shiny objects, and through that process, our own misinformed sense of ourselves is changed, and we feel better, calmer and more relaxed. Clothing causes many different forms of electrical, statically charged particles within our bodies, we may not always be aware of them, but the fabrics that are mixed with plastics, build up a charge as you walk. They add to the feelings of stress
and exhaustion, yet once naked, walking bare foot on the earth, the charge is pulled from us, releasing the tensions and we feel instantly lighter and more at ease.
Mental health issues such as depression and body dysmorphia, are reduced when a person undresses and returns to their natural state. Dr Keon West in London has done some amazing work showing how the mental state can be changed within people leading to a more positive attitude, and sense of self from simply walking around being naked.
As a couple, we feel more liberated, and free, and find we connect better with our environment and the natural world, and as we have come to realise, we are natural, we are part of the natural world. Being naked is who we are supposed to be, and the result has been a huge increase in our body confidence, and our acceptance of others, no matter their size, race or creed.
When you can accept your naked self, you embrace the real truth of who your really are, you can then only accept YOU!
A naturist world or ANW, is filled with people like us, and we are accepting, relaxed and embracing of everyone. Shame is not a word or feeling we use or inflict, and to a large degree, we have become bullet proof towards the effects of social media. Naturism helped us, and we know, it can certainly help you.
We are here, we are RnR, come visit all of us on ANW.
RnR are bloggers for the site a naturist world, (ANW) who write opinions and experiences of their life within naturism. All facts and charts used in this article are sourced from the UK government website the link to which is below and worth reading.
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