A fit society or body dysmorphia

The first picture is of a 19-year-old bodybuilder that has recorded a body fat percentage of 4%. He recently came out and confessed how he had been subject to body dysmorphia and how an extremely low body fat level has affected his energy and hormone levels negatively.

The other is is of a 21-year-old Kiril Tereshen who has injected his arms with a concoction of Alcohol olive oil lidocaine. He had them removed due to the implants being septic.

So why are people doing this? A simple answer is unrealistic expectations set by social media platforms. Instagram is full of people posting pictures of their "perfect" physique which the viewers believe is what they should look like. What people don't realise is that the media shows only a selected perspective. Viewers don't realise that those are professionals that do that full time and that is why they can look that certain way

James Smith is an influencer I follow that supports a very healthy lifestyle, and how it can be sustainable. The irony is he himself faces bullying and people calling him "fat" even though he is 15% body fat which is above average and allows him to be a professional Jiu-jitsu athlete.

I believe this recent fitness wave on social media is taking fitness to an extreme where it's becoming unhealthy for viewers and followers. The examples I've given are a result of this and serve as a perfect example of how much weightage these media platforms hold in people's lives. Content creators have a responsibility to use it wisely instead of jumping on bandwagons to make profits.