From selfies to belfi: the most disturbing Instagram ideals in 10 years

This year one of the most popular social networks turns 10 years old. Instagram has turned into a large-scale platform where you can find both a lot of useful and dangerous material. Psychologists say that after the emergence of this social network, girls began to worry much more about their appearance. Fashion trends concerning the types of figure that change every year, encourage Instagram users to adjust their body to the framework of glamorous stars. See how ideals have changed over time, further in our material.Many critics accuse Instagram of fueling unrealistic expectations in women's hearts. Girls compare themselves with the stars of the social network and strive to find the same forms as them. When the users, despite all their efforts, do not succeed, they feel disappointed.

Food quickly became the main topic of Instagram. The trend was launched by the CEO of the social network Kevin Systrom and its founder, Mike Krieger. They were the first to publish photos of lunch and dinner. Users quickly picked up the wave by uploading pictures of their dishes. This was the beginning of an endless competition for the most photogenic food... and an open invitation for strangers to comment on someone else's food system.

A few months after the launch, Instagram introduced hashtags. In January 2011, the first #Selfie appeared, which was the beginning of a global obsession. In 2013, "selfie" became the word of the year, according to the Oxford Dictionary. Then, for Kylie and Kendall Jenner, the publication of star selfies turned into a profitable business.Fans admired Kylie's lips, which were constantly changing shape, and her the elder sister, meanwhile, founded the millionth brand of decorative cosmetics. The girls began to follow their example and massively increase their lips, and the stars began to receive even more income from selfies.

Perfect bodies quickly became a lucrative business. American fitness model Jen Selter helped popularize #Belfie by presenting her rear-angle shots to subscribers. Soon psychologists began to worry that girls obsessively compare themselves with each other. Hashtags like #Fitspo ("fitness inspiration") appeared under photos of skinny women following strict diets and grueling fitness regimes. Potentially, such samples idealized eating disorders.

When Kim Kardashian became an active Instagram user and took a cherished belfi in a white swimsuit, she received a million likes. Plastic surgeons told about the sharp rise in requests for injections for butt lift.

Immediately after that, skinny girls became active in the social network, posting pictures of #ThighGap. They boasted skinny legs that didn't touch above the knees.

The fashion for skinny girls continued, and the stars of the social network began to admire the bony figures. A new trend of #SkinnyBitchCollective was started by coach Russell Bateman, who developed a set of classes to achieve skinny forms. Psychologists say that the trend has hurt the self-esteem of many girls because of the idealization of thinness.

The next trend, #BikiniBridge, encouraged female users to share selfies in bikinis where only skinny legs are visible.

Singer Pink led a protest against the admiration of a bony figure and stated on Instagram that the body should be healthy and strong. She was supported by Serena Williams and other athletes, posting photos with the hashtags #ThickFit and #StrongNotSkinny

Obsession with grueling workouts in the gym has led to the emergence of a new trend — #AbCrack. The main feature was a clear line running from top to bottom to a toned stomach, like Emily Ratajkowski. Even more disturbing was the "A4 challenge" when the girls uploaded their photos, proving that their waists are thinner than the width of a standard A4 sheet of paper (21 cm).

Model Ashley Graham showed a more positive example, winning the commitment of fans with pictures with the hashtag #CurvyFitClub. In this way, she supported women with large sizes. Plus-size models joined her, posting photos of legs with no gap between them. The pose resembled the tail of a mermaid, so it was called #MermaidThighs.

Despite the admiration for natural curvy forms, the fashion for thinness is back again. #RibCageBragging is a hashtag that originated when Bella Hadid posted a photo in a bikini, with her hands behind her head, showing protruding ribs. This caused psychologists to be even more alarmed about the promotion of eating disorders.

A step away from #ThighGap was the tag #TobleroneTunnel — a triangle between the crotch and thighs.

At the same time, the feminist Chidera Eggerue, known on Instagram, began promoting the trend #SaggyBoobsMatter, promoting sagging breasts. Thus, the activist wanted to remind women that they should not adjust themselves to any standards.

One of the latest Instagram trends is #SlimThick. Kim Kardashian, Lauren Goodger and Amber Rose became his fans. The combination of sexy rounded buttocks and a slim waist has become a goal that millions of girls have tried hard to achieve. For such a figure, it is necessary to train hard, forming the muscles of the legs and thighs, and at the same time sit on a low-calorie diet.Psychologists say that Instagram is increasingly provoking girls to have a negative attitude towards their body. Ideals change so quickly that the users do not keep up with them, feeling completely disappointed. You do not need to fit yourself into someone else's standards to be beautiful, because uniqueness remains in fashion always.

Fortunately, the body positive movement is gaining more and more supporters among the stars of social networks. The famous Australian blogger urged subscribers not to sacrifice health and well-being for the sake of a slim figure. She has recovered and claims that she now feels really happy.