The Impact of Instagram on the Creation and Reproduction of Female Beauty Ideals

Abstract

Social media has such a strong presence in contemporary society, even affecting how we perceive beauty stan-dards. For this reason, this paper analyses significant phenomena such as influencers, by studying the content pub-lished by some of these public figures. To this end, an online survey (n = 509 people) and a qualitative content analysis were carried out as tools for observing the beauty standards represented in the publications shared by users on social media. This research has made it possible to verify, among other elements, what is the prevailing pattern of beauty on Instagram, as well as possible evolutions of the “traditional” beauty standard, determining whether there are gender implications in these stereotypes. The work warns about the impact of influencers in the creation or main-tenance of stereotypes that affect self-image.