Countless young teens dedicate much of their time and attention to social media apps such as Tik Tok, which may be the cause of their deepest insecurities. New trends are created daily, and these trends can often make people, especially young women, feel self- conscious of features they had never considered to be unattractive. 

A popular Tiktok trend is using an inverted filter that sends the message that if one’s face is not perfectly symmetrical, they are considered unattractive. Being completely symmetrical is an extremely unrealistic standard to set especially for young and developing teens. 

Ethnic features have also been thought of as less attractive than Eurocentric features. While this has unfortunately always been a trend, it has increased on social media. 

Devin Long, a Saugus Tiktok user states she has noticed, “whenever there is a beauty trend it always favors white features. For example having a small nose, straight or wavy hair.” 

Several comments will compliment them by putting themselves down such as saying “I love your side profile! If only my nose wasn’t so wide.” This makes whoever is reading the comment insecure about their own features. 

Additionally, hip dips also became a trending insecurity and was thought to be a flaw that one must work to get rid of. They are completely normal and there is absolutely nothing wrong with having them,and rather, they should be embraced. This type of unrealistic body standards that are set, especially for young women, can lead to unhealthy eating habits and excessive exercise in hopes to achieve impossible bodies. 

Larren Wells, a Saugus Tik Tok user, put this into perspective: “Many didn’t even know they existed, Tiktok pointed out hip dips on women when many didn’t even notice before”. 

Magnolia Creek, a treatment center for eating disorders, conducted a study and found that “social media users showed that higher Instagram usage was associated with a greater prevalence of orthorexia nervosa symptoms, highlighting the influence social media has on psychological well being.” It has been proven how much social media truly influences people which is why one should be cautious with their social media use.

Insecurities come in a variety of forms. Teens may also be insecure about their style, the music they listen to, and so much more purely because it is made fun of on social media. When people begin following popular trends, they are called “too basic””, but no matter what teenage girls decide to do or wear, the media shames them for it. 

There are several misogynistic trends on social media that are aimed at making fun of the things teenage girls enjoy. Many receive negative comments under videos of them doing their makeup or simply a dance. These comments include things such as “This is why I would never want a daughter.” While the person commenting may forget about the comment in 10 minutes, the creator of the video may remember it for years.

There is pressure to keep up with the latest trend and also ensure your style and taste doesn’t deviate too far from what is considered attractive. These trends lead youth to what feels like almost an obligation; to paint an image to fit a certain fashion and music type. However, body type, face structure, and other physical traits are not as easily manipulated, leading one to feel defeated.

Madison Vianzon, another Saugus TikTok user, suggested that, “We should support others with different cultures, girls with different body types and people that are part of the LQBTQ+ community.” 

No matter the culture, body type, or sexuality of the person, they should not feel as though they have to change themselves in order to feel accepted by society. Normalizing things such as hip dips, big noses and large foreheads can help children grow up feeling more confident in their own body. Even a simple compliment can make someone’s day.

The opinions in The Scroll’s editorials are strictly the views of the writers of the staff or outside submissions. The views do not represent or reflect the opinions or policies of Saugus High School or the William S. Hart School District. The Scroll welcomes all reactions and outside submissions to share alternative views.