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Highs and lows of swimsuit selfies

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Social media channels, in particular Instagram, are popular with teens as a place to archive their lives. Some limit these networks to their friends and family but others opt for an open profile accessible to all. Instagram can become a place to out-pose each other, and, when this means wearing smaller and smaller swimming costumes; this could lead to the wrong kinds of attention.

Here's an example via Kylie Jenner:

thanks @goldteethgod for the necklace of my G wagon ??

A photo posted by Kylizzle (@kyliejenner) on

Every day, tabloids such as the Daily Mail publish creepy stories about celebrity teens or children of celebrities being “all grown up”. These sleazy pieces which read like they were written in the drool of middle-aged perverts are usually accompanied with pictures of the teens in revealing clothing or swimsuits.

No swimsuits, no problem?

An obvious solution to the long lenses of the paparazzi would be for these teens never to go out wearing anything less than thick denim dungarees, but then they’d also have to close their social media accounts. Of course, it could be said that teens shouldn’t have to adapt their style because of dysfunctional adults, the adults should be called out on their behaviour.

Some parents have strict rules on what their kids may wear, including swimsuits. While boys generally have more freedom to wear whatever they like, girls get a tougher time when wanting to express themselves through fashion.

It’s generally accepted that kids and adults will wear swimsuits to the beach or around the pool, and many families have fun holiday snaps to remind them of their trips to the sea, but these pics have a different context to teens posing for social media accounts.

No nudes is good nudes

There’s also been a trend for teens to use channels such as Snapchat to share naked pictures of themselves. Much has been written about the obvious pitfalls of sharing nude photos online, but even semi-nude swimsuit shots could be used to harm teens, too.

Some parents believe it’s empowering to their kids to allow them to express their personalities and that they should celebrate their bodies in order to build a healthy self-image.

What do you think?

Are swimsuit selfies for teens inappropriate?

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