Perfect: Feeling Judged on Social Media

Social media images of perfection can be unrealistic and contribute to a sense of never being good enough. Rosalind Gill challenges polarized perspectives and shows how young women feel watched, worry about getting things wrong, and struggle to live up to an ideal of being perfect yet real.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 22 September 2023
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Social media is filled with images of perfection, but many of them are unrealistic and contribute to a pervasive sense of never being good enough. Whether it's being thin enough, pretty enough, or cool enough, the pressure to meet these standards can be overwhelming. Trying too hard can lead to being labeled as "attention-seeking," while not trying hard enough can result in being seen as lazy or unmotivated. Rosalind Gill challenges these polarized perspectives and argues that the real picture is far more ambivalent. On the one hand, getting likes and followers and feeling connected to friends feels fantastic. On the other hand, posting material and worrying about haters causes significant anxieties. Gill uses young women's own words to show how they feel watched all the time, worry about getting things wrong, and struggle to live up to an ideal of being perfect yet at the same time "real." It's a wake-up call that we all need to hear. Additionally, the book is available as an audiobook.

Weight: 342g
Dimension: 138 x 215 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509549719