A Note From Megan On Her Inspiration For The Project

As a young person, I have had experiences of body image insecurity and always suspected that the problem was aggravated by the use of social media; similarly, several of my friends believe this too. My friends have shared with me how they have felt pressured to keep up an image on social media, and present themselves as the same perception of ‘beautiful’ and ‘perfection’ that mainstream media promotes.

Several of my friends have shared that they prefer their self-image with an applied filter from Snapchat or Instagram, rather than their natural image. This is to the extent where they will choose to only take photos of themselves with filters. After talking at depth with my friends, we felt that ‘likes’ make social media very addictive, whether that be to see who interacts with your content or how many likes there are compared to previous posts; it becomes an unhealthy obsession and valuation of your image.

For this reason, I am very passionate about changing how we use social media but also to change the majority of posts that we consume to be more reflective of natural beauty and reality.  

I hope this campaign encourages more people to accept their natural body image and have a healthier relationship with social media as its role grows in our everyday lives. I also would like to destigmatise asking for help for mental health and related support, and help others find the best resources for them.