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Willow Smith Talks Instagram and Body Image on Red Table Talk



1BlessedNatural: Willow Smith Talks Instagram and Body Image on Red Table Talk (photo cred: Instagram/Jada Pinkett Smith)
Last week on Red Table Talk, Willow Smith opened up about her body image and social media's role in it. On the episode, the 17-year-old daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith said she didn't think her body was curvy enough. Jada and her mom also shared their insecurities. On "Body Talk After the Red Table" Jada and Willow delve deeper into the conversation of Willow's body image. 

For those of you who don't know, Red Table Talk is a series on Facebook hosted by Jada Pinkett and Willow Smith and Jada's mom, Adrienne Banfield-Jones. They talk about real issues in an open and honest way.

If you're scrolling through Instagram right now, you will probably see what looks to be perfect pictures. There are men and women with perfect bodies and seemingly perfect lives. The question is this: How can all of this all affect a person's self-esteem?


Willow expressed the exact same feelings many people experience  while scrolling through their timelines. She said, "The media in general is a battlefield, a war zone for the self-esteem of women." Willow continued, "I'm not a very curvy person. Looking on social media and seeing these girls just get so much attention and being like,'Wow. What's wrong with me?'"

In a January 2017 article called How to Avoid Depression Induced by Social Media, Psychology Today reported on studies performed by UK researchers on social media and people. The problem of comparison was one of the influences in the study. The magazine said this:


It's no surprise that people are more likely to develop depression from comparing themselves to others on social media than when they make comparisons in real life. That's because it's easier to present a polished -- and unrealistic -- version of your life in a snapshot or snippet of text. 


PsychologyToday made a great point! The key is not to compare yourself to people on social media. A. The "perfect" people you see are not perfect at all. The images and text are a small part of people's whole lives. Most times, the ugly moments of life are not shown. 


B. God has created a special you to be who He wanted you to be. You can't be that if you're worried about someone else. It can be easier said than done. If you feel like the images are too much, try unplugging and taking a break from social media for a while. 


Willow asked Jada if she could help her train to develop her body. I love this approach because she could've said she wanted plastic surgery but didn't. I loved how Jada kept encouraging Willow and letting her know that she was still beautiful. At the end of it all, Willow and Jada both agreed that it's a process to love and accept yourself, and I agree. 
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What did you think of Jada and Willow's talk about social media and body image?


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