Instabody is the new, or not so new, wave of body shape. It’s classified as having a 45″ butt and a 22″ waist and a hefty bust. The measurements vary but always proportional to a big butt, a big bosom and a tiny waist; very unrealistic even to barbie who was an idol of comparison up until recently. This body shape used to be called “hourglass” until recently when social media became more and more popular. It was unofficially renamed “insta body” after Instagram.

Instabody was made more popular by the media, especially the entertainment media. Instagram models who advertise clothes from online boutiques are mostly targeted by brands if they have this hourglass shape. This has made the faces of many trends and fashion by women who are curvy. This has placed brands like Fashionnova under fire because of the lack of diversity in body shapes, heavily photo-shopped pictures and their unrealistic looks that alters the actual look of items.

The entertainment industry has an undeniable fingerprint in this issue. Most music videos feature women with these body types. Musicians also make music praising women of these body types and place them as the epitome of a seductive woman. This has created a subconscious mark that women need to have this shape in order to be considered beautiful and feminine. This has led to the rise of the cosmetic surgery industry like never before. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons cosmetic surgery has increased by 115% since the year 2000.

Instabody has caused waves of controversies over the years. With increased social media careers and marketing, the effects of instabody has increased. Many young girls are feeling obligated to be have the same shape in order to be considered beautiful or to boost their social media marketing career. Therefore many are at risk of body dysmorphia, developing eating disorders and being victims of botched surgeries performed by unlicensed doctors and even death.

Emotionally this creates a huge rift within many girls. It leads to depression and withdrawal because of the feeling of not being good enough. Confidence being a key component of what makes a woman, this issue definitely erodes it. Thus it prevents women from accomplishing their goals, fulfilling their desires and building their careers in social media platforms.

Fitness groups and trainers are the first stops that many women make in order to obtain an Insta body. Fitness centers and gyms are quite expensive costing at least $720 a year for a basic membership with no trainer included. After a while, maybe fitness doesn’t offer them the shape they desired; therefore, many women are inclined to opt into cosmetic surgery. The cost of cosmetic surgery is very high causing financial waves. Most of the time, the after care and also yearly check ups is not quite cheap, thus leaving a woman who is probably not making enough money yearly with another bill to her budget. Products that claim to give women fast and accurate results are constantly marketed, which presents false hope and eventually disappointment.

However, recently many activists are encouraging body positivity and helping young girls love their body. Many brands are also being more diverse and presenting products to women of all body shapes. We have come a long way from being slim and slender being the fashion trend to being curvy being the new thing. When we realize our bodies are naturally supposed to look the way they are now, we will stop treating ourselves like a hashtag or a trend and start a pleasant journey to acceptance and appreciation.