THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EMBODIMENT AND BODY IMAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DIGITALIZED CULTURE OF SELFIES AND COSMETIC SURGERY

This article analyzes how digitalized selfie culture and normalized cosmetic surgery practices transform corporeality and body image, shifting the focus from "body as experience" to "body as image."Within a theoretical-empirical framework, phenomenological concepts of corporeality, self-objectification theory, social comparison models, and self-discrepancy theory are integrated, enabling the description of the formation of chronic visual self-reflection, an internalized "camera" gaze, and the experience of the body as a project for continuous improvement.It is demonstrated that regular practices of photographing, editing, and posting selfies, as well as the use of filters and AR masks, serve as key mechanisms for constructing body image and amplifying body-related anxiety.Empirical findings indicate that passive consumption of selfie content (particularly hyper-aestheticized, retouched, and "before/after" images) is associated with heightened body dissatisfaction, appearance-related social anxiety, and more favorable attitudes toward cosmetic surgery; this relationship is mediated by mechanisms of social comparison and self-objectification.The phenomenon of the "digital twin" of the body is delineated-an idealized version of the self constructed through filters, which is perceived as more "authentic" and desirable than the living body, thereby intensifying dysmorphic experiences and willingness to undergo repeated interventions.Adolescents, young adults, and women demonstrate particular vulnerability, while an increasing pressure of muscularized ideals on men is also identified.Based on the obtained data, the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach is substantiated: psychological screening of individuals planning cosmetic interventions (assessment of self-objectification, BDD-like symptomatology, social media dependence, and expectation levels), development of psychotherapeutic strategies aimed at reintegrating corporeality and reducing the weight of the internalized evaluative gaze.The preventive potential of critical media literacy programs, bodyoriented and group interventions in youth communities, as well as ethical regulation of digital platforms (labeling of edited images, restrictions on advertising cosmetic procedures, support for diverse body representations) is particularly emphasized.The article proposes a comprehensive model for understanding how digital visual practices construct the contemporary bodily self and what clinical and preventive implications this holds for psychological practice.