Viewing before and after weight loss transformation images online: The impact on young women’s mood, body satisfaction, self-objectification, and the role of appearance comparison

Previous research has uncovered paradoxical outcomes associated with viewing online fitspiration-related images, where viewing content can increase motivation and inspiration while negatively impacting body image. This study addressed a lacuna in the current literature byexploring the impact of viewing before and after weight loss “transformation” images. Female participants (N = 404) aged 18-30 were randomly allocated to three image conditions to examine changes in state body satisfaction, self-objectification, mood, and inspiration. Image conditions were: side-by-side before and after weight loss; before and after images presented individually in a random order; travel. Negative mood and state self-objectification significantly increased after exposure to before and after weight loss images, while state body satisfaction increased in the group that viewed the same images one at a time (without the weight loss subtext). Exposure to before and after images did not increase participants’ inspiration to “improve fitness” or “eat healthily”. State appearance comparison mediated the relationship between both experimental image conditions relative to the control group for self-objectification and negative mood. Findings suggest that transformation content does not inspire healthy lifestyle changes and that the inherent messaging has harmful short-term effects on women’s mood and self-objectification.