Name: Jade Walk
Social Justice Group: Women in the Media
Date of Fieldwork: November 14, 2018
Name of Organization: Interview with SMAHRT about Social Media and Body Image
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Megan A. Moreno and her team (Megan Moreno, Anna, Maggie Bushman, Aubrey Gower, Reese Hyzer, Kole Binger, Lauren Kelly, Megan Huag, and Ting An Lai)
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did:
My group and I had a phone call interview with Megan A. Moreno and few people from her team. They are all on the SMAHRT at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We came up with many questions to ask them and they all gave us their thoughts on what they thought the answer would be.
What I learned:
I learned that social media effects all ages in similar ways and some that depend on how old they are. Younger kids are starting to get phones, download social media apps and make accounts. As they get older and become teenagers they start to realize and focus on all the negative things about their bodies, they constantly start to feel like they need to change. Something that stood out to me was when someone said that when kids who are younger that will hear something and then hear it again, then multiple times and start to believe it even more every time they hear it. Kids and teens brains are still developing so what ever they see or hear when they are changing and growing can really affect their mental health.
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
I learned that being body positive is the most helpful and one of the best ways to learn how to love your body. When teens follow accounts that makes them want to change what they look like they should unfollow it right away. Following just one body positivity account can add confidence, positivity and teaches you how to love yourself. Since the brain is still developing, following positive accounts can benefit a young girls thoughts on body image and what they look like.
learned that social justice work and being body positive takes a long time and a lot of dedication. It is not always easy and hands-on work, but there is always a way to help. For example, even just changing the bodies that people see in social media can change completely how the brain works. Every thing starts small and will eventually become bigger. Following one body positive account may not seem like much, or promoting body positive messages can spread and have a huge benefit on young girls’ body image.
