SELF AND EMOTION 1 Self And Emotion Dominion Etsegbe Oklahoma City Community College SELF AND EMOTION 2 I watched two short thought-provoking Ted Talk videos, “Why thinking you’re ugly is bad for you” and “How to Stop Screwing Yourself” by two self-esteem enthusiasts, Meaghan Ramsey and Mel Robbins. The two authors in both short video clips underscore the self-esteem concern, especially among girls and young women. The two insight videos provide hard-learned lessons on improving our self-esteem. Summary of the Videos In the TED Talk video, “Why thinking you’re ugly is bad for you,” Ramsey highlights the surprising risks of low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence, especially about our bodies (Ramsey, 2014). From her body language, Ramsey is unsettled by the devastating impact of online media on self-esteem. According to Ramsey (2014), low self-esteem increases the risk of substance abuse, mental disorder, and low academic performance. In this talk, Ramsey targets girls because they are the most vulnerable victims of low self-esteem and most disturbed by self-image (Ramsey, 2014). Like Robbins, Ramsey shares with her audience how we can overcome low self-esteem in the wake of digital media. In TED Talk titled “How to stop screwing yourself over,” Robbins describes how we are the reason for our failure. In her humorous way, Robbins shows how a lack of selfconfidence and low self-esteem hinder us from pursuing our passions and dreams (Robbins, 2011). Throughout this short video, Robbins helps us learn how to unlock our potential, or the “activation energy,” as she calls it (Robbins, 2011). Unless we dare to move out of our comfort zones, we will continue sitting on our potential. Both authors show how low self-esteem is detrimental to our lives from social and health perspectives. For example, Ramsey (2014) describes how societal pressures, including the “image-obsessed culture,” distract our mindset on our appearances. The new media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, have increased this unbecoming attitude toward our appearance, and girls, especially in their teens, are the worst affected. For SELF AND EMOTION 3 instance, many girls believe they are not beautiful and struggle to appear like their idolized and fake models, demonstrated by social media videos and images. As a result, these fuels various social and health concerns, including anxiety and eating disorders such as anorexia. Concept and its Importance Although digital media have benefited society in many ways, including breaking geographical boundaries and facilitating seamless interactions, it has many dangers. Low self-esteem, especially among girls, is a pervasive social and health issue bedeviling society (Myers & Twenge, 2015). One significant risk downplayed by society is the self-esteem concern. Low self-esteem can have a devastating impact on human life. For instance, suicides, depression, and other mental illnesses arising from low self-esteem spike in this information age. Therefore, this shows how new media accelerates self-esteem issues. Girls, especially in their teenage, are the worst affected despite affecting all demographic groups. Teenage girls are in the prime of their physical and emotional development. Girls also try to look attractive in their teenage years because of biological factors, including attraction to the opposite sex (Ramsey, 2014). In this image-obsessed culture and contemporary online media, girls are under extreme pressure to appear like misleading and unrealistic models, such as images of socialites posted on social media. Girls do not realize that most images posted are not authentic (Ramsey, 2014). Instead, they get manipulated or modified through filters to capture attention. As a result, this has made many girls feel unlovely, forcing them to attempt weird things, such as skipping meals, to look like idolized models. Personal and Societal Impact The declining self-esteem among girls in the wake of online media is an important issue. From my experience, I have witnessed girls attempt weird things, including altering their body structures to look beautiful. It is alarming the world has seen a surge in cosmetic SELF AND EMOTION 4 surgery, including facelifts and creating the so-called “perfect image.” The rise in cosmetic surgery shows how self-esteem issues have worsened recently (Walker et al., 2021). The topic is important to me because I have never understood why people would perfect awful practices, including enlarging their breasts and behinds to appease others. Low self-esteem also erodes the social and moral fabric in many ways. For example, many girls hardly mind the side effects or problems they experience by altering their body structures through cosmetic surgical processes such as liposuction, botox, facelifting, and eyelid lifts. Alarmingly, two million girls and women subject themselves to cosmetic surgery despite the known risks, such as cancer (Walker et al., 2021). In addition, altering the body is ungodly. According to Christians, altering our bodies is akin to competing with God or questioning His work (Atiyeh et al., 2020). Therefore, this demystifies how self-esteem concern is compromising our moral and social fabric Further Exploration The videos were insightful and raised serious questions for future investigation. I am still wondering whether cosmetic surgery is consistent with traditional medical ethics and whether the government can do anything to control it. Should the government outlaw cosmetic surgery? I would also wish to investigate further how low self-esteem in the wake of image-obsessed culture leads to anorexia and other eating disorders. SELF AND EMOTION 5 References Atiyeh, B. S., Rubeiz, M. T., & Hayek, S. N. (2020). Aesthetic/Cosmetic Surgery and Ethical Challenges. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 44, 1364-1374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144019-00282-1 Myers, D. G. & Twenge, J.M. (2015). Social Psychology (12th ed.). New York: McGrawHill. Ramsey, M. (2014, October 7). Why Thinking you’re Ugly is Bad for You [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXlIAS-rI4E Robbins, M. (2011, June 11). How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7E973zozc Walker, C. E., Krumhuber, E. G., Dayan, S., & Furnham, A. (2021). Effects of Social Media Use on Desire for Cosmetic Surgery among Young Women. Current Psychology, 40, 3355-3364. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071345
