A WOMAN told how she attempted to take her life as a teen after becoming obsessed with why she didn’t look as good as "gorgeous" Photoshopped celebrities online.
Lauren Ashworth, 21, a Miss Cheshire finalist, would look at women on Facebook and other sites and wonder why they had such clear skin and perfect bodies – not realising in many cases they had been digitally-altered.
“I became really anxious and upset and, looking back, I think it was because of the internet,” she explained to Fabulous Digital.
“I wondered, ‘Why am I not like that?’.
"I felt like I wasn’t good enough.
“I thought I was too thin with no boobs when in reality I had a normal 13-year-old girl’s figure."
Lauren continued: “I had acne – like many teenagers – but I would compare myself to flawlessly skinned celebrities and hate it.
“I now realise that often celebrities online and on Instagram are often Photoshopped, have had nose jobs, tummy tucks and more surgery.
“They aren’t real.”
Lauren, from the Wirral, Merseyside, also suffered panic attacks for a number of years and would visit ‘pro-ana’ sites encouraging anorexia and offering weight loss tips.
Aged 16 she tried to take her own life – but with the love and support of friends and family recovered.
And eventually she started eating healthier and realised she was happy with how she looked.
YOU’RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
“It was a learning curve – but now I know looks are irrelevant,” she said.
“You need to love who you are, love yourself, looks don’t matter at all.”
But she is concerned current teens looking online will compare themselves to artificial images and not realise that they are fake.
“It’s so important they understand that the internet portrays a fake image of appearance,” she said.
Lauren, now a bathroom showroom worker, entered Miss Cheshire to show she had finally accepted her appearance – flaws and all.
“I’m not perfect,” she laughed. “My hair is fake and I still get acne.
“But I’m kind to myself and to others – and that is the most important thing.”
She spoke as it was revealed the Culture Secretary told Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to his face that the UK government would become the first in the world to introduce a legal crackdown on Facebook’s harmful content.
Writing in today’s Sun, Jeremy Wright explains how he told Mr Zuckerberg at a meeting at Facebook’s officers in San Francisco in February that Britain had “reached a turning point” over its failure to act.
And Mr Wright told him the UK Government could “no longer sit by and let harms go uncontrolled,” adding that the time had come where new laws were now the “only option”.
In his article the Culture Secretary also praises The Sun for highlighting the shocking abuse that is hosted unhindered on social media and was blamed for the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell in 2017.
News of his private discussions with Mr Zuckerberg to coincide with today’s publication of the long-awaited Online Harms White Paper.
It sets out radical new measures to make social media companies legally responsible to protect their users, with senior management to face prosecution if harmful content isn’t removed and rogue tech firms even facing a ban from the UK.
Last week Fabulous Digital revealed how teenager Peyton Handy encouraged 3,000 vulnerable and anorexic teens to diet after visiting 'pro-ana' websites.
Peyton would post harmful messages on the site encouraging girls to eat less – but she was also anorexic.
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If you or a loved one are affected by mental health problems, or suicidal thoughts, call the Samaritans helpline on 116 123
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