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Personal ideal of beauty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Body image Interview 2019Tianni: Okay so you will basically be in study and I’m going to be interviewing you about the study of body images and exploring the ways in which instagram impacts young women and it’s basically going to be about how you feel about body image and just some basic questions about how you use social media. So if you could state your name and year here at UMW that would be awesome.Subject 6: My name is ********* ***** and I am an alumni from Mary Wash and I actually graduated last year.Tianni: Okay perfect so to start off. How many hours per day do you spend on Instagram and if you don’t use Instagram what social media site do you use? Subject 6: Typically 0 hours a day according to my activity, I only average 11 minutes on Instagram per day. I haven’t been using it much lately, as I’ve been trying to cut back on the time I spend scrolling through social media. I still do spend a decent amount of time on Snapchat though, because I use that as a way to communicate with friends that I don’t see a whole lot. I also still scroll through Facebook sometimes when I’m waiting on something such as my computer restarting at work, which usually happens at least once a day because I love a good meme. Tianni: Who doesn’t love a good meme. So would you say you’re generally happy with your own body image and if not do you think it stems from something specifically? Subject 6: For the most part. I like the weight that I’m currently at, but I find myself wishing I was more fit. My physical activity dwindled down a lot after I started working full time, which has definitely changed the way my body looks. That’s something that I’d like to change, but I’ve noticed that I’m generally happier with myself when I’m not comparing myself to other people. Tianni: That definitely makes sense. I definitely always notice a little weight gain that bothers me after season ends. So in your own words what makes a girl or woman beautiful to you? Subject 6: Honestly, I think someone’s personality is what makes them the most beautiful – I know that sounds cliché, but I’ve known girls/women in the past who have had beautiful exteriors but rotten interiors the same goes for men. That’s something that immediately ruins someone’s appearance for me if someone is rude or otherwise sending out negative vibes, they’re unattractive to me. Someone with a good heart who genuinely cares about others is always beautiful in my book. Tianni: I would a 100% agree with that. Would you say that using social media affected your views on body image, or your personal body, in any way? Subject 6: It definitely has, in both positive and negative ways. That was part of the reason why I decided to cut back on Instagram I feel as if Instagram is generally a place where people post the best parts of their lives, and it got to a point where it felt almost like a competition. I was competing with other people to have the best picture, with the best angle, that would garner the most likes… and I feel like many women myself included subconsciously associate that with their sense of security in both their body image and personal lives as a whole. I even started photoshopping a couple of my pictures! It wasn’t real. There were times when I would find myself wondering, “Why didn’t that post get more likes? I thought I looked cute there” and when you step back and really look at it, it all just seems so silly and trivial. I am by no means perfect but neither is anyone else, even though we try so hard to portray our lives in this perfect setting. I used to be jealous of the women that would get 600+ likes on a picture, but I’ve found that I don’t care as much about it anymore after taking some time away from it. I will say though that I LOVE campaigns like Aerie Real that don’t photoshop their models and who embrace flaws – because everyone has them. I think those are the parts of social media that are positive and inspiring when it comes to body image. I love when I come across an advertisement for a bra or bathing suit and see a woman who looks like me wearing it. It just feels more relatable and real than other advertisements that show the 6-foot-tall, stick-thin, photoshopped model with abs. It’s hard to compare yourself to something like that when such a small portion of the population actually looks like that. Tianni: I love Aerie Real and is definitely one of my own personal favorite campaigns as well. Have influencers, celebrities, or Instagram models ever caused you to think about your own body image and was it in a negative or positive way? Subject 6: For sure I think you can probably tell from my previous comment that I have a lot of opinions on the topic. Seeing a photoshopped celebrity with professionally done hair and makeup when I’m sitting on the couch, scrolling through Instagram in my sweatpants, is not a great feeling. I think that can impact anyone’s image of themselves, especially when they are seeing someone look their very best. That’s why I like campaigns that use your average, everyday person to model their products. It’s easier to relate to. Tianni: Okay so would you say you post particular photos that make you feel good about your body with the intent to accentuate your body? Subject 6: In the past, I definitely have. When I do post on social media which isn’t super often anymore, I’d say I probably still do. I’m not sure I’d ever post something to social media where I felt like I looked bad. I think such a large part of social media revolves around feeling good about yourself, which is why people spend so much time trying to get that “perfect” photo. The last situation where I can remember doing that was on New Year’s Eve this year and I had maybe 5 or 6 different people take a picture of my boyfriend and I before I had one that I felt was “worthy enough” to post. It was honestly kind of ridiculous. So, one of my resolutions became to spend less time worrying about social media. It was taking a toll on how I viewed myself and, in general, it was taking away from simply having fun without feeling like I had to get a picture of it. So far it’s worked, and I do feel happier not being on it all the time. Tianni: So have you ever found yourself editing parts of your body before posting pictures to social media? Subject 6: This was never something that I did a whole lot, but there were a couple beach pictures from last year that were edited to make my body look more in tune with how I wanted it. I don’t think this is something that I’d do again though, because honestly it isn’t worth the time or energy. Tianni: Okay and do you think social media creates a standard for women's body, or beauty, that is almost unattainable? Subject 6: Yes, 100%. How can someone compete with a picture that’s photoshopped? You just can’t. Social media sets up these unrealistic expectations for women that they then strive toward when, in reality, the model herself probably doesn’t even look like that. Tianni: Okay I would agree with that. So moving okay so moving on to the cheer aspect. How long have you been cheering for?Subject 6: Seven years and for four in high school and three in college.Tianni: And did your cheer uniform make you feel uncomfortable about your body? Subject 6: Okay, if I’m being honest, I always hated that cheer uniform. Mine was so small on me! I always had to have someone else help me get out of the top because I couldn’t pull it over my chest myself why are they made like that? I will say there were times, when I was feeling good about myself, when my cheer uniform did make me feel attractive. But then there were other times when I’d be sitting down or slouched over and I’d notice some fat hanging over the edge of the skirt and I’d immediately think “Oh god, that looks awful.” I think a lot of the other cheerleaders probably felt that way too. For the most part, the uniforms were just too tight, uncomfortable, and unflattering. Of course, that is only referencing the UMW cheer uniforms because I genuinely liked some of my high school competition uniforms! They were much more comfortable. Tianni: I totally agree that our high school uniforms were sooo cute. So what would you say you like and dislike about your cheer Uniform? Subject 6: I like that I never have to wear it again. Just kidding. In all seriousness though, I thought the uniforms had a pretty design. I just think they shouldn’t have been quite as tight, especially when they showed a bit of midriff. Anything that squeezes people in, except for a small strip of their stomach, is going to be unflattering. It makes people think they’re “fat” when they’re really not. I felt like a can of cookie dough that was being sucked in. In the future, I think that’s something that should be taken into consideration. I will say that there were definitely times when it did give me a bit of a confidence boost though, especially on competition days. There’s just something about being in a uniform, with your hair and makeup done, knowing you’re about to compete. I always felt fierce going into a competition! ................
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