St. Scholastica’s Academy-Marikina
Performance Task\Quarterly Examination
The Epitome of Beauty under the Light of Goodness
Sofia J. De Leon
12 - St. Clodesindis/STEM
Mr. Patro Sulla Jr.
Theology IV - Instructor
April 13, 2022
In this day and age, social media has proven to be one of
the aspects of our lives that would heavily influence our selfesteem and perspective on ourselves. As we use it on a daily
basis, we are left exposed and vulnerable to seeing what goes on
in the lives of the people around us. In this generation, social
media has been transformed into an illusion of perfection, an
opportunity for many to showcase only the good in their life and
conceal all that is bad. Because of such an unspoken system that
goes on in social media, many are left with unrealistic
expectations and dissatisfaction in their lives, all linked to
the heartbreaking and untrue belief that everyone has it better
than them, all the while merely basing it solely off what they
see on the internet. The most common issue I have observed and
experienced myself is the change in how I perceive my own body
image, the decline in my self-esteem, and the occasional
deterioration of my psychological well-being. Coming from a
place of new-found enlightenment and reflection, I’ve learned
that beauty goes beyond face value and prioritizes the goodness
and sincerity that lies within our inner beings.
According to Slade (1994), body image is formally defined
as a complex phenomenon wherein an individual’s perception of
their own body is measured and the judgements made by such an
individual in order to arrive at such a conclusion on their view
on their own body are highly cognitive, affective, and
attidunal. Our body image will always be a part of how we
understand and see ourselves, but as mentioned beforehand, the
constant subjection of society to social media has unfortunately
resulted in the normalization and widespread occurrence of
negative body images, a prevalent and common issue that is faced
by many of our youth today. According to Stanborough (2020),
body image isn’t as simple as determining whether you like your
body or not. It involves a complex and jarring thought process
that deals with a person’s perception of how their body looks in
their own eyes and the eyes of others, a person’s evaluation of
their own body, a person’s own feelings regarding their body,
and their driven beliefs about what bodies should look like.
Simply put, a negative body image is defined as being overly
focused on comparing your size, shape, and appearance to
unrealistic ideals. Under the light of this, correlational
studies conducted by Fardouly and Vartanian (2016) reveal that
social media usage is associated with the body image concerns
among young women and men, and more long-term studies suggest
that this association may strengthen under the course of time.
According to Fleps (2021), the evident rise of social media
usage in today’s society has had different effects on the body
image and as well as the later development of eating disorders
in many individuals. As social media continuously shapes our
concept of beauty, constant exposure to images posted online has
caused an evident link to how individuals compare themselves and
their own body. The discovered correlation is most especially
found when the participants of the study were found scrolling
through appearance-related content, such as models and
celebrities found on Instagram. While in the process of doing
so, the reality that social media is filled with people
presenting the best versions of themselves is forgotten and
disregarded.
In regards to this issue, I very much agree with the fact
that the universal discussion on social media negatively
impacting the body images of many is real and accurate. More
often than not, I find myself staring at my face and body in the
mirror, questioning why I looked the way I did and why I had
flaws that I don’t seem to find anywhere else. As a way of
coping, I found comfort in confiding in my close friends who
shared the same thoughts and feelings as I did. In that moment
of similarity, I felt a sincere and genuine wholesomeness in how
I wasn’t alone in feeling what I felt. Since then, I’ve learned
to find and understand the beauty in all things that were
mundane and normal about me, embracing them as unique
characteristics that contribute to appreciating my perceived
beauty and love for myself. Speaking from the heart, I wish that
social media would have a development wherein imperfections and
characteristics that don’t meet the beauty standards of today’s
age are normalized and made known. I am dreaming of the day that
individuals everywhere will be able to have the capacity to love
themselves in the same way they give love and spread love to
those who matter most in their world.
Beauty goes beyond face value and prioritizes the goodness
and sincerity that lies within our inner beings. Aside from
establishing that everyone is beautiful in their own way and
light, I’ve also been able to deepen my understanding on how we
are able to recognize and witness true beauty in the actions and
words of those with goodness engraved in their hearts and souls.
Inner beauty is the gracious goodness that is brought out and
revealed out of one’s genuine will of doing right by themselves
and by others. Inner beauty that is true helps those in need
just for the sake of helping and not just because a favor is
expected to be given in return. It holds substance that lasts
and is experienced by others repeatedly as time progresses, it
is not seasonal or rare, but it is eternal and unerring. It is
one that can see the good in anyone, one that believes everyone
is worthy of love and acceptance in this world, capable of
serving as a powerful voice that speaks for those who may not be
able to. Inner beauty is true beauty, one stemmed from the
likeness and image of God and is willing to set forth and
concretize actual manifestations of His teachings and good will.
Physical beauty has no standard and is indefinite. The
quotation “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is one that
greatly encompasses and embodies the lessons that are meant to
be rediscovered and reflected on in regard to how one
understands themselves. Setting aside the face value of beauty,
it is true that inner beauty transcends and holds more value as
it bears more meaning and substance from within. Many people can
be described as pretty or attractive, but it is an entirely
different experience to call one person beautiful as we are
complimenting their entirety as a person and epitome of
goodness. Just as De Mesa has stated, absolute beauty lies in
the interior motive and not on the subjective conditions of the
perceiver. An issue such as this one is important to be tackled,
as it discusses and interprets the problems many are faced with.
With more people educated and informed on negative body image, a
reformation of a more positive and healthy environment is made
possible for many. That being said, I firmly believe that love
is a universal language that can be understood by all, and we
must utilize such a powerful instrument to spread only
positivity and goodness wherever we may be, uplifting and
growing the beauty that can be found in all of us.
References:
Fardouly, J., & Vartanian, L. R. (2016). Social Media and
Body Image Concerns: Current Research and Future
Directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 1–5.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.09.005
Fleps, B. (2021, April 21). Social media effects on body
image and eating disorders. News.
https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2021/04/social-mediaeffects-on-body-image-and-eating-disorders/
Slade, P. D. (1994). What is body image? Behaviour Research
and Therapy, 32(5), 497–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/00057967(94)90136-8
Stanborough, R. M. J. (2020, November 25). What to Know
About a Negative Body Image and How to Overcome It.
Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/negativebody-image