A recent BMJ study has shown that self-harm rates among girls aged 13 to 16 have increased by 68% in the last three years. This worrying increase has been attributed to stress due to school, body image issues due to social media, and the stresses of going through puberty. However, could consumerism have a role to play?
In the realm of advertisement, there are two components: you, the consumer, and the advert. The goal of the advert is to make you buy the product, to consume.
Adverts have existed as long as commerce has, the fruit vendor on the streets of Tudor England would advertise his products by shouting about how fresh they were and such- but in an increasingly capitalist world where the competition is fierce and mass profit seems to be the only way to survive, many companies have moved onto more aggressive forms of advertising.
Russel Brand, comedian, actor and activist, has said: "If your main role in life is to consume products, then you are continually being told you're not good enough in order to stimulate the need to purchase."
This can be seen in hundreds of advertisements- ranging from commercials calling all elderly women to eliminate their unsightly wrinkles, to adverts catering to girls of about age 5 which promise they'll be 'so cool' with some new, pink shoes.
It is common knowledge that in order to live a fulfilling, happy, life, smooth legs and perfectly sculpted cheekbones are not necessary. However, with Kim Kardashian making over $14 million in just ten minutes after launching her new contour kit, it appears that many of us sometimes forget these things. Why is it that we feel the need to spend all our money on changing our bodies to be more like someone else?
Advertisements often use coded language to make us feel as though we're 'missing' something. Often a bubbly, bright advert will appeal to some of humans' darkest emotions. Loneliness, doubt, sadness, anxiety. It is not uncommon to see an advert inviting a consumer to 'be happy', be 'free', become 'in control', with their wondrous product.
Of course, social media also plays an enormous part in the shredding of many people's self-worth. With modern technology, we have the opportunity to look directly into other people' lives and their day to day activities. The more 'likes' and comments a person receives, the better we perceive their life to be. This creates a perfect atmosphere for comparison and inevitable feelings of worthlessness ensure.
Recently though 'perfect' lifestyle social media accounts have joined forces with our previously mentioned capitalist foe: consumerism. Companies approach these accounts and pay them to advertise their products as one of the cornerstones of their incredible (and in most cases inaccurate and extremely edited) lives. So here we have two supposed evils combined, the power of popularity intertwined with mass consumerism. Though a genius marketing scheme, it is also dangerous.
Whether this self-doubt inducing marketing ploy is presented in Hello! Magazine or your Instagram feed, the message can be hard to ignore. So how do we fight against such things, especially when they've become such an integral part of our modern lives?
A powerful weapon in this situation is awareness, once you know the motives behind an advert, you can consciously say 'no' to what they're telling you, and stop certain messages from becoming ingrained in your subconscious mind. However, the most important thing is self-love. Though it may sound cliché, once you realize that you're perfect just the way you are, you can rest assured that anything you buy is not in an attempt to mask an insecurity or to follow the social media crowd.
So, though we may not be able to escape mass consumerism anytime soon, with a little self-love and awareness, hopefully, we can protect ourselves from its negative effects.
