Brazilian Butt Lifts or Thigh Gaps? Protecting Your Mental Health Online By Tanvir Ali
Whether its Brazilian Butt Lifts, thigh gaps, or the doom of endless scrolling, what’s really shaping how we see ourselves online? From glossy magazines to social media feeds, the pressure to measure up has never been higher.
When I was young, my mum would take me to the hair salon and being a kid, I was naturally bored. iPads didn’t exist at the time, so for entertainment I only had an array of magazines on the coffee table, the most common being Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue. The content was often about boys and being skinny which being a little boy I couldn’t relate to, it seemed like harmless fun reading at the time. But even then, stories began to appear around girls starving themselves to achieve “thigh gaps.”
Fast forward to 2026 and social media has taken the world by storm but has the content really changed? Instead of striving to be as thin as possible, many people now chase the opposite ideal, trying to achieve thicker thighs or Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBLs), sometimes through extreme or risky procedures that can even harm their health. At the same time, social media has introduced new pressures, such as doomscrolling and the expectation to always be online. This raises an important question: how do we protect our mental health online?
Sociologist Erving Goffman argued in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life that people manage how they present themselves to others like a performance. On social media, this often appears as carefully curated posts showing idealised versions of life, which can lead people to compare themselves to unrealistic standards and negatively affect their wellbeing.
Doomscrolling whereby continuously consuming negative news or upsetting content often happens late at night or during stressful events. For example, the rise in videos documenting attacks on ethnic minorities and Muslims this year has left many people feeling anxious and emotionally drained. Research links doomscrolling to psychological distress and reduced wellbeing, as constant exposure to negative information can leave individuals feeling overwhelmed, especially when they struggle to disconnect from their devices.
Notifications and messages on smartphones can also create pressure to respond immediately. Seeing others attending events or social gatherings may lead to a fear of missing out (FOMO), creating the feeling that we must always be available. Research among adolescents has linked compulsive screen use to emotional difficulties and mental health risks, highlighting that it is not just about screen time, but also the pressure to stay constantly active online.
Thankfully, there are practical ways to create healthier digital habits. Being mindful of your screen time can help you reflect on how much time you spend online and how certain content makes you feel. Curating your social media feed can also help. Platforms like Instagram now allow users to choose topics they want to see more of, such as personal finance or educational content. Setting limits on screen time, turning off non-urgent notifications, and spending time offline with friends and family can all help maintain a healthier balance between online and offline life.
The digital world isn’t going anywhere, but your mental health doesn’t have to suffer for it. Curate your feed, set your boundaries, and remember it’s okay to log off and just be yourself.
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