Social media has become one of the most popular sources of communication for the next generation. For young people growing up in today's society, social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have provided images and news that have become the first thing their eyes see in the morning and the last thing they see before going to bed. These images have provided unrealistic standards of what is considered beautiful in today's society. As young people relate to these images as a form of comparison, harmful circumstances have been created. These influences on young people's lives have forced them to take extreme measures and, in some cases, have resulted in deaths. Social media in today's society has been proven to have a negative impact on how young people, especially women, view their bodies. Unrealistic beauty standards, dangerous comparisons and disorders have all been the result of the rise of social media and the impact it has on young people's lives. For starters, social media has created unrealistic standards for young people, especially women. Being bombarded with images of women wearing bikinis or minimal clothing that exemplify their "perfect" bodies, squatting an unimaginable amount of weight at the gym while being gaped at by the opposite sex, or supermodels posing in some of the most desirable things in life has created a standard that many young people feel they must meet. If this standard is not met, then it is assumed that they themselves do not live up to the norms or “standards” and therefore are not beautiful. The article Culture, Beauty and Therapeutic Alliance discusses how women are bombarded by star media messages...... middle of paper ...... Body image, media and eating disorders. Academic Psychiatry, 30(3), 257-261. Yamamiya, Y., Cash, T. F., Melnyk, S. E., Posavac, H. D., & Posavac, S. S. (2005). Women's exposure to thin and beautiful media images: Body image effects of media ideal internalization and impact reduction interventions. Body Image, 2(1), 74-80. Works Cited Carneiro, R., Zeytinoglu, S., Hort, F., & Wilkins, E. (2013). Culture, beauty and therapeutic alliance. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 25(2), 80-92. Derenne, J. L., & Beresin, E. V. (2006). Body image, media and eating disorders. Academic Psychiatry, 30(3), 257-261. Yamamiya, Y., Cash, T. F., Melnyk, S. E., Posavac, H. D., & Posavac, S. S. (2005). Women's exposure to thin and beautiful media images: Body image effects of media ideal internalization and impact reduction interventions. Body image, 2(1), 74-80.