Abstract
The significance of facial beauty lies in its innateness. Infants nine months and younger stare at faces considered attractive by adults for a more extended period than they stare at other faces (Honn & Goz, 2007). The number of likes female Instagram (IG) users receive under their selfies, and what that represents to them and their followers is an interesting topic in social media. The present study investigated how the number of likes female IG users receive under their selfies influenced their self-perceived facial beauty. IG users receive likes under their selfies for various reasons. The present study was aimed at understanding three things, whether likes received on a selfie influence the self-perceived facial beauty of an Instagrammer, which type of selfie either (edited, unedited, selfies with make-up selfies without make-up) influences users’ perception of facial beauty, and the standard of facial beauty for IG. A qualitative research design was utilised for the study and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Social constructionism is the theory chosen as the theoretical framework to support the study. The findings of the study indicate that edited make-up selfies receive the most likes, while edited flawless makeup selfies and no make-up selfies with perfect skin are perceived by participants as the standards of facial beauty for IG. The results further suggest that the number of likes Instagrammers receive influences their self-perceived facial beauty unknowingly to them. Most Instagrammers have put measures/mechanisms in place to help them avoid obsessing, fixating and comparing the number of likes they receive to those of their peers, influencers and other Instagrammers. The study further suggests that future research should continue with a more diversified sample group, in terms of race.
Keywords: facial beauty, Instagram facial beauty, likes.