Have you noticed that we now look at people's profiles before we even get to know them? Before meeting them face to face, we look at their photos; before their photos, we look at their filters and before their filters, we look at how many likes they have received. Appearance is more central than ever. Moreover, it's not just an aesthetic preference, but also a measure of value.
The growing aesthetic anxiety on social media revolves around flawless skin, symmetrical faces and so-called “ideal” body measurements. Images promoted by algorithms gradually become the norm, and anything outside this norm is silently judged. This is where “body-shaming” culture comes into play, sometimes through outright mockery, sometimes disguised as “well-meaning advice,” and sometimes simply through looks.
However, human dignity is not a value that increases or decreases with popularity. Throughout history, human communities have coexisted with different lifestyles, beliefs and appearances. This diversity both enables and challenges coexistence. Respecting a person's clothing, body or aesthetic preferences does not mean adopting their choices. This points to a more fundamental principle: the inviolability of human dignity. This principle occupies a central place in both religious teachings and modern ethical thought.
From a psychological perspective, the human mind tends to make quick judgments to reduce uncertainty. Known in social psychology as the "first impression effect," this tendency demonstrates how lasting assessments based on appearance can be. However, these cognitive shortcuts often do not reflect the whole truth. As Carl Gustav Jung put it, a person's visible face is only a small part of their inner world. A filtered photograph does not tell a person's story.
Today's increase in cosmetic surgery is directly related to this appearance-centered culture. Of course, everyone has the right to make decisions about their own body. However, the issue begins with the line between free choice and invisible social pressure. Thoughts such as "I'm not beautiful enough," "I'm not fit enough," or "I don't look young enough" are not merely individual concerns. They are also the product of a cultural atmosphere. In this atmosphere, people feel compelled to constantly put themselves on display.
In Islamic thought, human dignity is a value bestowed upon humanity at creation. The verse in the Holy Quran, "We have honored the children of Adam" (Surah Al-Isra: 70), clearly states that this honour is not dependent on any external conditions. Value is not gained through physical appearance, clothing style, social status, or aesthetic interventions. Existence itself is the source of value.
The Prophet's hadith, "Allah does not look at your appearances or your wealth; He looks at your hearts and your deeds," is perhaps more meaningful today than ever before. Because our age carries the danger of magnifying appearances while rendering hearts invisible.
A similar emphasis also emerges in modern philosophy. Immanuel Kant argues that human beings are always an "end" in themselves and can never be regarded merely as a "means." Yet social media culture often reduces people to mere objects of display. They become entities exhibited for likes, curated for clicks and optimized for algorithms.
The Sufi tradition approaches this issue from a deeper perspective. Sufi philosopher Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi's words, "I have seen many people without clothes; I have seen many clothes without people inside," strikingly illustrate the distance between appearance and reality. Today, we can read this saying as follows: We have seen many profiles without genuine contact.
Appearance-based exclusion is not merely an aesthetic issue; it is a psychological wound. The constant feeling of being judged fosters feelings of worthlessness, anxiety and alienation in individuals. Research shows that individuals who feel accepted form healthier social relationships and are able to express themselves more freely. In this sense, respect is not only a moral principle; it is also the foundation of social mental health.
The essence of being human is plurality. This plurality is not a threat that must be standardized. It is a richness that must be protected. Indeed, a world where everyone has the same facial features, the same body measurements, and the same lifestyle would be aesthetically impoverished.
Perhaps what we need most today is to try to understand others before correcting them, to pause and reflect before commenting and to consider the heart before judging appearances. Because filters change. Trends change. Aesthetic sensibilities change. But human dignity does not change. And the level of civilization of a society is measured not by how much it loves itself when looking in the mirror, but by how much respect it shows when looking at others.
