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Wives of French soccer players -- Sandra Evra (right) and Ludivine Sagna (center) -- take a selfie before the World Cup match between Ecuador and France last month.
(Christophe Ena/The Associated Press)
In light of a new Oregon State University study on whether women with "sexy" profile photos on Facebook and other social media are perceived as less competent, we rounded up a sampling of other pieces on the effect of technology, media and culture on perceptions of beauty.
Read about the OSU study
1. A blogger and social media manager in the Kansas City, Missouri, area posted a fascinating project she calls Before & After. Esther Honig sent a photo of herself with no makeup and a simple bun to nearly 40 people in 25 countries who offer Photoshop services. She paid each $5 to $30 and gave a simple direction: "Make me beautiful." The wide variety in results sheds light on dramatically different visions of beauty.
2. A study released in March reported that one in three plastic surgeons surveyed said they had seen an uptick in surgeries requested by people concerned about their appearance in social media. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery also said its annual survey found an increase among procedures in those younger than 30.
3. A student at Claremont McKenna College wrote her senior thesis in 2013 on the issue of beauty and social media: "Why Don't I Look Like Her? The Impact of Social Media on Female Body Image." Kendyl Klein writes how she developed an eating disorder after obsessing about how celebrities and friends look, including in photos on Facebook and Instagram. Her thesis traces how beauty standards have shifted over the decades, and how photos on social media are playing a role in women's "self-objectification."
4. Mashable reported in January on a study by Dove, the soap company, that found that 82 percent of women think social media applications are shaping the definition of beauty. The survey of 1,000 U.S. women ages 18 to 64 found that a majority think social media have a bigger impact on the definition of beauty than print, film and other media, Mashable reported.
What do you think about the effects of technology and social media on perceptions of beauty? Do you worry more about being photographed, knowing that your photo could end up on social media? Do you post selfies, and do you add filters or take other steps to make them look better? Do you feel more or less confident about your looks in a society in which selfies and social media are ubiquitous? Have you had or considering having a cosmetic procedure so you would look better in photos on social media? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
-- Michelle Brence