Ege University (EU) Faculty of Nursing organized a panel titled “You Are Beautiful As You Are”. EÜ Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department lecturer Uzm. Dr. Mehmet Emre Yeğin, EÜ Faculty of Letters, Department of Psychology Res. See. Belemir Şule Samar, Faculty of Letters, Department of Sociology, Department of Sociology Res. See. Begüm Demirkol, Dietitian Dr. Pınar Kocaağa attended as a speaker.
In the opening speech of the panel, Uzm. Dr. Mehmet Emre Yeğin said, “In the sources that say the perception of beauty is 7000 BC or even older, Cybele is the embodiment of the beautiful woman depiction. It is mentioned that symbols such as femininity, fertility and soil are attributed to Cybele. Today, social media has shaped the perception of beauty and has been accepted by the society. We look forward to seeing what shape the perception of beauty will take after 2023.”
“Aesthetic age has dropped with the effect of social media”
Stating that the age of plastic surgery has decreased to an early age, Res. See. Belemir Şule Samar said, “Today, social media has a huge impact on the age of having plastic surgery down to 13. With social media, everything has become more radical. The limit in aesthetics created by the perception of beauty is seen as 13 years old, but it is thought that this age will decrease further with the effect of social media. Since it is easier for individuals to consult doctors for aesthetics, our doctors have an important role to play. Before applying to psychiatry, plastic surgery is applied. The desire of individuals to resemble the people they choose as role models is more common at younger ages. We can talk about a perception of beauty that arises because people generally position themselves within their ‘me’ and ‘other’ judgments. The individual tries to emulate the physical characteristics of the person he/she takes as a role model. These efforts, which set out with the desire to have a valuable place, can cause material and moral damages to the individual and his/her environment.
“Those outside the perception of beauty are lynched”
Commenting on the ‘Perception of Beauty’ presented on social media, Res. See. Begüm Demirkol said, “Recently, the concept of lynching culture has come to the fore in social media. This concept is a modern state of exclusion. There is a perception of beauty imposed on all of us on social media. If this perception is not adopted, we are either lynched or lynched. There are hundreds of people lynched on social media for their perception of beauty. This perception has become indestructible. When there is a person who has an opinion that is far from the common perception of beauty, that person is marginalized with insults and lynchings by the society. We exist in social media with words, images and thoughts. The image created on social media may be perfect, but when we return to real life, the desire to be perfect comes into play.”
“Nutrient needs are restricted to adapt to the perception of beauty”
Evaluating the effect of the created beauty perception on nutrition and food consumption, Dietitian Dr. Pınar Kocaağa said, “Because beauty is associated with the state of being weak, we can see that this perception has increased, especially among young people, with the sharing of supportive content on social media. It is seen that young people use social media more and they share more in this direction. At this age, instead of meeting their energy and food needs, they try to limit their nutritional needs in order to adapt to the weak body image created in the media.
Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency
