TY - JOUR
T1 - A comparison of the impact of exposure to fit ideal and non-fit ideal body shapes in fitspiration imagery on women
AU - Barnes, Kate
AU - Newman, Emily
AU - Keenan, Grace
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - Previous research indicates a negative impact of exposure to fitspiration on women’s mood, self-esteem, and body satisfaction. Fitspiration typically features thin and toned bodies, but there is some variation in the body types shown, which may influence its effects on viewers. Participants (N = 605women) were randomly allocated to view fit ideal, non-fit ideal, or neutral control images from Instagram, and completed state measures of appearance self-esteem, self-objectification, body satisfaction, and negative mood before and after image exposure. Women in the fitspiration conditions also reported level of state appearance comparison with women depicted and how inspired they were to do more exercise. Fit ideal and non-fit ideal images had a negative effect on body satisfaction. However, participants in the non-fit ideal condition showed an increase in state self-esteem and a decrease in state negative mood following image exposure, in contrast to the fit ideal condition. Condition didnot have an impact on state self-objectification and there was no difference between fitspiration conditions in how inspired participants felt to do more exercise. State appearance comparison was correlated with change in self-esteem, negative mood, body satisfaction scores and with how inspired individuals felt to exercise. Small effect sizes and limitations indicate that replication of findings is required. However, the effects of viewing fitspiration imagery may depend on thinness and muscle tone of models shown, and level of comparison with people portrayed.
AB - Previous research indicates a negative impact of exposure to fitspiration on women’s mood, self-esteem, and body satisfaction. Fitspiration typically features thin and toned bodies, but there is some variation in the body types shown, which may influence its effects on viewers. Participants (N = 605women) were randomly allocated to view fit ideal, non-fit ideal, or neutral control images from Instagram, and completed state measures of appearance self-esteem, self-objectification, body satisfaction, and negative mood before and after image exposure. Women in the fitspiration conditions also reported level of state appearance comparison with women depicted and how inspired they were to do more exercise. Fit ideal and non-fit ideal images had a negative effect on body satisfaction. However, participants in the non-fit ideal condition showed an increase in state self-esteem and a decrease in state negative mood following image exposure, in contrast to the fit ideal condition. Condition didnot have an impact on state self-objectification and there was no difference between fitspiration conditions in how inspired participants felt to do more exercise. State appearance comparison was correlated with change in self-esteem, negative mood, body satisfaction scores and with how inspired individuals felt to exercise. Small effect sizes and limitations indicate that replication of findings is required. However, the effects of viewing fitspiration imagery may depend on thinness and muscle tone of models shown, and level of comparison with people portrayed.
KW - fitspiration
KW - appearance comparison
KW - body image
KW - social media
KW - Instagram
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/computers-in-human-behavior
U2 - 10.1016/j.chb.2023.107728
DO - 10.1016/j.chb.2023.107728
M3 - Article
SN - 0747-5632
VL - 144
JO - Computers in Human Behavior
JF - Computers in Human Behavior
M1 - 107728
ER -