In the modern world, everyone is focused on how they look and compare themselves to others. Without realizing it, society has taught people to look down on themselves and aspire to be somebody else. Many people fail to realize the many tactics used to make this happen, which is why it is important to recognize these different ways. 

The first thing people think of when discussing this topic is social media. Though social media is seen as a major factor to this through photoshopped pictures of celebrities and unrealistic challenges for people, marketing and ad campaigns also have a huge influence on this. For example, on advertisements, companies often make society seem like they have an issue that can be solved when they buy the product advertised. An example of this is a person using a beauty product to help make themselves look prettier, and the company then emphasising that the target audience needs this to cover up their imperfections. This often lowers people’s self-esteem and makes them think they have flaws, making them want to buy the product to make themselves look like the person in the commercial,

Not only does this make people insecure about their physical appearances, but it also makes people feel like they are left out without realizing it. This is because the wording of the advertisements manipulates their minds into thinking they are left out or not with the times for not having an item, and therefore making them purchase the item just to get society’s approval.

In addition to those tactics being bad for mental health, they are also bad for the environment. This is seen with the constant creations of new products, making people unnecessarily throw out their old ones to stay current and for its new features. For those items that don’t come with upgrades, a lot of damage still comes with these purchases, as 99% of what people purchase is thrown out within six months (theworldcounts).

With all that is done to rob people of their happiness to get money, Maddie Liao (11) believes that “It is unfortunate to see companies taking advantage of people’s insecurities to profit, and it questions their morals and ethics in doing this.” Many companies choose to do this to keep people buying their products to find a cure for their happiness, when really their true happiness should come from the people around them. This is why there are less empowering advertisements and more shaming and guilt-inducing ones.

Fortunately, there are many influencers and people on social media that are now starting to realize the detrimental effects society has brought to people. One example is a TikToker named Spencer Barbosa, who is using her platform to encourage people to be confident in their bodies and remind people that social media does not accurately represent how people look in real life. She does this by showing that she is imperfect herself and that society often glorifies an overly slim and “flawless” look. Her realistic take on these issues has helped many people feel confident in themselves and realize that they should embrace their imperfections rather than feel embarrassed about them.

Additionally, a company called Aerie has taken steps to make women acknowledge their true beauty. Having a campaign called “Aerie Real”, their goal is “aiming to display a diverse array of un-Photoshopped models. Through promotion of female empowerment, Aerie sells its products by making its audience feel comfortable with themselves and their insecurities” (The Daily Free Press). When noticing these trends between many different companies, it becomes much easier to realize people’s true worth and not buy these products just to make themselves “look better”.

With how society is targeted in negative ways, it is important to remember that most of this stuff is deceptive and that people should try to find what makes them happy rather than looking at stuff that brings them down. In this, people will start to enjoy their lives more and feel good about themselves.