Whether it's Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, Pacific Islanders love social media.
It connects families across oceans and it keeps communities informed.
In 2018, more than seven million Pacific Islanders had access to the internet, a number that had more than doubled in the previous five years.
However, it is an addiction — the average person spends 145 minutes per day on social media — and that comes at a cost.
International studies show social media is responsible for a rise in narcissism — as well as a fall in self-esteem — for young girls and women.
This trend coincides with changing perceptions of beauty in the Pacific, where tolerance of diverse body sizes has been decreasing, with women's bodies being defined through Western beauty ideals.
What defines beauty?
Auckland University of Technology researcher Malia Latu published an academic paper on Pacific Women, Beauty and Race.
She said the fundamental problems with Western notions of beauty was that they only valued a woman's physical characteristics, and "othered" Pacific Island women.
Ms Latu drew upon the concept of Orientalism by Edward Said, which created an image of Eastern cultures as uncivilised, compared to the West.
"It looks at understanding the West as the hegemony. And then anything outside that is the other," she said.
"The term 'exotic' was used to describe the tropical settings like our Pacific Islands, so images of Pasifika women became a manifestation of pleasure for the white male gaze.
Pasifika women as 'exotic'
Ms Latu said Pasifika women historically were seen as "exotic" and "different", which led to a "double marginalisation" in daily life.
"There were such depictions where women were photographed partly naked in the forest with flowers in the hair," she said.
"This depiction of beauty was not only introduced to the Western ideology of beauty, but also captured the double marginalisation of Pasifika women.
One participant in Ms Latu's research paper confessed she still received comments from people about her "exotic" appearance.
"She was a Fijian with European and other nationalities. She talked about how she's often labelled as being 'exotic-looking' – a reference that she understood to hold significant value to the Eurocentric ideology of Western beauty," she said.
When it came to fitting in, Ms Latu said all participants in her study agreed on one point.
'It's what is inside that counts'
Ni-Vanuatu woman Ruth Kaltonga grew up surrounded by Western notions of beauty —"white women with soft long hair" — in magazines or on television.
As a young girl, it affected her.
"All these types of women were being defined as beautiful, that this is what beauty is like and then you see that none of them look like you," she said.
Beauty 'doesn't matter' in outer islands
When travelling to Vanuatu's outer islands, Ms Kaltonga said women seemed relatively unfazed by the beauty standards being peddled online — a phenomenon she wished she saw in the city.
"When you go to really rural areas, these things don't matter to them. But, in the capital, the beauty standard has really taken its toll and [is] causing a lot of issues with identity and self-worth," she said.
"It's not about what you look like or how long your hair is. It's about what you can do for your family, how you care for your family and how you contribute."
Ms Kaltonga said having strong, grounded female role models helped overcome critical thoughts.
"I was very fortunate. The women in my family and the members of my family really taught us that it's what's inside that counts."
Ms Latu agreed, and said Pacific Island families played an important role in uplifting women and building a healthy self-esteem — a theme she explored in her research.
"Just having words of encouragement from mothers can really make you feel better," she said.
Beauty is knowing who you are
Fotuosamoa Jody Jackson is a Samoan storyteller and educator, who now calls New Zealand home.
Speaking from a personal perspective, Fotuosamoa said beauty in a Pacific Island context was about service to others and knowing where you come from.
After the death of her father early on in her life, Fotuosamoa and her seven siblings were raised by a strong, single mother who disregarded aesthetic beauty.
"It's the person, who you are, and your identity before anything to do with your physical attributes" she said.
"But there were things that define beauty in my culture, which is when you know who you are, when you speak your language, when you know what to do in a in a cultural setting.
Instilling pride in the next generation
Despite the criticism, Fotuosamoa said she felt encouraged by young women who embraced their individuality online, rather than being swayed by Western trends.
This was particularly the case with her 14-year-old daughter.
"What I have loved about social media is that it's really allowed the younger crowd to make decisions for themselves," she said.
"They are much better people than us because they are learning through social media and they are making decisions, especially on Instagram."
Fotuosamoa said introducing some control over her daughter's account and having regular conversations about content she read was a positive experience overall.
