A Study On The Social Construction Of Appearance Anxiety Among College Student

Appearance anxiety is becoming a highly debated youth cultural phenomenon that affects the physical and psychological health of an increasing number of university students.This paper draws on theoretical perspectives on self-identity and consumer society to explore how appearance anxiety is constructed as a social fact by social,economic and cultural forces,and to provide a comprehensive analysis of its characteristics,effects and the body actions of university students in response to anxiety.Based on the analysis of quantitative data and interview data,the paper concludes that university students with a stronger sense of self show higher levels of appearance anxiety,and that overall appearance anxiety is characterised by diffuse distribution,dependence of formation,contextual triggering and spatial interpenetration of diffusion.Internally,the search for self-,group-and social-approval is an internal driver of appearance anxiety among university students,which can lead to potential anxiety about their own appearance.Externally,the monotonous aesthetic standards and appearance icons created and propagated by the online media,as well as the internalisation of ideal looks and comparisons with each other on social media platforms,make some university students feel increasingly dissatisfied with their own appearance.In addition,through the problematization and stigmatization of realistic appearance,medical and aesthetic businesses have created a consumer code system that says "if you spend money,you can change your appearance defects",creating and spreading appearance anxiety from the outside in.Finally,the paper describes the actions taken by university students to cope with appearance anxiety.In response to this anxiety,some university students have adopted two strategies,namely physical action to ’become beautiful’ and fitness,but the effects of these actions are mostly dynamic,fluctuating between a well-controlled appearance and a sense of loss of control,and failing to successfully address appearance anxiety.One possible solution for university students is to reflect deeply on appearance anxiety,to separate and dismantle the discourse of appearance anxiety deliberately created and propagated by the media,to highlight the importance of inner beauty and multifaceted beauty,to rescue appearance from the monotonous aesthetics of deformity,and to recover the unique and authentic nature of appearance.