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Fitspiration and Body Positivity: The Relationships of Body-Focused Instagram Trend and Movement, Self-Objectification, and Gender Stereotypical Beliefs
Abstract and Figures
With the expanding market of Instagram in the Philippines and the world, the said social media platform is exploited for the promotion of trends and movements, such as Fitspiration, which encourage men and women to work out and live a healthy lifestyle, and Body Positivity, which supports loving one’s body for precisely the way it is. However, the proliferation on social media of the body-centric content under these themes is potentially correlated to self-objectification, wherein an individual’s concept of the self is mainly his/her physical and tangible aspects, leading to the treatment of the self merely as an object of the gaze. According to Fredrickson and Roberts’ Objectification Theory, the socially constructed standards and the sexualization of women are both role players in developing self-objectification in an individual, whether it is temporary by (i.e., State Self Objectification) or chronic (i.e., Trait Self Objectification). Both forms of self-objectification are possible contributors to the perpetuation of gender stereotypical beliefs, especially the prescriptive ones which cage women into rigid physical appearance ideals. This study is a hybrid of correlational and quasi-experimental that fills that gap in the literature. Two groups of undergraduate women with 50 members each (N = 100) were briefly exposed to fitspiration and body positivity photos. Their qualitative and quantitative responses led to the following findings:
1. Both groups had come up with self-objectifying answers but strongly disagreed with gender-stereotypical beliefs
2. Both groups compared themselves to the women in the photos and felt positive or negative, depending on whether the comparison was downward or upward.
3. Some respondents from the fitspiration group were motivated to work out. However, feelings of envy, jealousy, self-consciousness, dissatisfaction with their bodies, confidence issues, and desire to conform with the ideal woman stereotype have also been triggered in most of them.
4. Some of the body positivity respondents also felt envious and jealous of the models and shared their struggles regarding self-confidence and social criticism.
5. Although some Upon seeing photos of women with realistic, far-from-barbie-doll bodies that represent some of them, the body positivity group mostly felt positive overall and expressed their desires for the society to rise above the stereotypes
Considering the findings, the researcher calls for the integration of media literacy in the educational curriculum, the creation of more non-stereotypical and non-sexual content both in mass and social media, and for more local studies that regard the interplay of self-objectification, gender issues, social media, and self-confidence.
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This study investigates the impact of Kundalini Yoga on female pageant contenders' self-objectification. Kundalini Yoga is a spiritual and physical practice that combines dynamic movement, breathing techniques, meditation, and chanting to awaken inactive energy believed to be at the base of the spine and channel it upward through the body's energy centers to attain spiritual enlightenment and self-awareness. 15 female pageant contenders aged 17 to 24 from Mariveles, Bataan, actively engaged in the study. Researchers assigned participants to four (4) Kundalini Yoga sessions or a control group, which received a one-time mindfulness webinar. At the post-test, the study observed that women who engaged in yoga sessions exhibited lower self-objectification (p = 0.018, z =-2.366), with a high effect size of 0.89. This study highlights that Kundalini yoga helps reduce self-objectification in female pageant participants, boosting their self-esteem. To improve future research, it is important to include a wider range of participants and age groups for more dependable results on self-objectification interventions. Furthermore, examining various yoga styles and teaching methods is vital for understanding their effects on women's body image. Additionally, considering venue factors such as atmosphere, facilities, and timing is crucial, as they greatly impact the success of interventions.
This study aimed to examine features of objectified images in popular fitspiration accounts on social media, identify the most prevalent user discussion topics about these images, and investigate the linkages between specific objectification cues and discussion topics. We employed content analysis to identify gender-specific objectification elements in fitspiration images (N = 2,000) on Instagram and unsupervised topic modeling to uncover topics in user comments (N = 35,263). Multilevel regressions were conducted to examine how gender and objectification features associate with the topics. Results revealed that one-third of the images were objectified. Objectification features such as sexual posing and the presence of objectified chest or abdomen were associated with the occurrence of two out of the three most prominent topic clusters (inspiration, body, and image-related discussions). We concluded that objectified fitspiration may distract users from health goals.
At present, adolescents’ photo-taking and photo-sharing on social media represent ubiquitous practices and objectified body consciousness (OBC) might offer a useful framework to explore online self-presentation and social networking site (SNS) use. Indeed, SNS might represent a highly accessible medium for socializing with self-objectification. However, the relationship between OBC components and problematic SNS use is still understudied. The present study evaluated the previously unexplored predictive role of appearance control beliefs on problematic SNS use, testing the mediating effect of body image control in photos (BICP) across male and female groups. A total of 693 adolescents (55% females; mean age 16 years) participated in the study. Results showed the negatively predictive role of appearance control beliefs on control over body image in photos. Moreover, BICP mediated the appearance control beliefs’ negative effect on problematic SNS use in girls. The present study tested the unexplored effect of appearance control beliefs upon problematic SNS use, contributing to the OBC research field and the ongoing debate concerning predictive and protective factors in problematic SNS use.
The present study examined whether body talk on social networking sites (SNSs) was positively associated with body surveillance and body shame and whether body surveillance would mediate the relationship between body talk on SNSs and body shame. We also tested whether the links from body talk on SNSs to body surveillance and body shame would be moderated by self-compassion. Furthermore, the moderating role of gender in the mediation model was examined. The model was tested with 194 female and 119 male Chinese university students who completed questionnaires regarding body talk on SNSs, body surveillance, body shame, and self-compassion. Results indicated that body talk on SNSs was positively related to body surveillance and body shame. The relationship between body talk on SNSs and body shame was mediated by body surveillance. Furthermore, self-compassion moderated the association between body talk on SNSs and body shame. No gender difference was found in the mediation model. Findings from the current study provide new insights into the development of objectified body consciousness among women, as well as among men, and highlight the potential value of promoting self-compassion in the prevention of body image concerns.
Empowerment-themed advertisements are becoming an attractive marketing strategy for companies due to their popularity among female consumers, but there is no known empirical work examining their effectiveness at increasing women’s felt empowerment. The explicit narrative of these ostensibly empowering advertisements seems empowering, but the visual messages still resemble traditionally objectifying campaigns, which have been known to lead to objectification in women. This series of two experiments measures the effects of nominally empowering messages on women’s post-exposure feelings of empowerment and self-objectification. In Experiment 1, 135 U.S. college women were randomly assigned to view ostensibly empowering beauty advertisements, traditional beauty advertisements, or control advertisements. They then completed a measure of state objectification and participated in a 3-min public speaking exercise as a measure of apparent empowerment. In Experiment 2, a more diverse sample of 326 U.S. women completed an online version of the study with a new measure of felt empowerment. Results of both experiments indicated higher state objectification following exposure to traditional beauty advertisements as compared to control advertisements, with some evidence indicating that the ostensibly empowering beauty advertisements also primed state objectification. Reported self-efficacy (Experiment 1) and felt empowerment (Experiment 2) did not differ by condition, but speech performance was judged as more empowered for individuals who saw the ostensibly empowering ad. We discuss potential explanations for the findings and offering suggestions for improving the effectiveness of these advertisements while decreasing risk of self-objectification.
This paper provides an organizing framework for the experimental research on the effects of state self-objectification on women. We explain why this body of work, which had grown rapidly in the last 20 years, departs from the original formulation of objectification theory (Fredrickson and Roberts, 1997). We compare the different operationalizations of state self-objectification and examine how they map onto its theoretical definition, concluding that the operationalizations have focused mostly on one component of this construct (concerns about one's physical appearance) while neglecting others (adopting a third-person perspective and treating oneself as a dehumanized object). We review the main findings of studies that experimentally induced state self-objectification and examined its affective, motivational, behavioral, cognitive, and physiological outcomes. We note that three core outcomes of this state as specified by objectification theory (safety anxiety, reduced flow experiences, and awareness of internal body states) have hardly been examined so far. Most importantly, we introduce an integrative process model, suggesting that the reported effects are triggered by four different mechanisms: appearance monitoring, experience of discrepancy from appearance standards, stereotype threat, and activation of the “sex object” schema. We propose strategies for distinguishing between these mechanisms and explain the theoretical and practical importance of doing so.
Prior research has related the use of social networking sites (SNSs) to body image disturbances among adolescents, but studies examining how SNSs affect adolescents' engagement in self-sexualizing behaviors are lacking. The current correlational study among 640 adolescents (Mage = 16.27, SD = 1.60) aimed to take a more nuanced look at the influence of SNS use, by examining the influence of talking about appearance-related topics with friends on Facebook in addition to total amount of Facebook use. The findings showed that appearance conversations on Facebook, but not total amount of Facebook use, was directly related to self-sexualizing behaviors. In addition, both self-objectification and the belief that complying with the prevailing appearance ideals is rewarded (with, for example, popularity, increased self-esteem, and romantic success) proved to be valid explanatory mechanisms for the examined relations. Results further showed that both boys and girls were affected by appearance-focused Facebook use, although girls scored higher on the key variables and the model fit better among the girls.
Objectification theorists suggest that exposure to sexualizing media increases self-objectification among individuals. Corre- lational and experimental research examining this relation has received growing attention. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the influence of sexualizing media use on self-objectification among women and men. For this purpose, we analyzed 54 papers yielding 50 independent studies and 261 effect sizes. The data revealed a positive, moderate effect of sexualizing media on self-objectification (r 1⁄4 .19). The effect was significant and robust, 95% CI [.15, .23], p < .0001. We identified a conditional effect of media type, suggesting that the use of video games and/or online media led to stronger self-objectification effects when compared to television use. Other sample characteristics or study characteristics did not moderate the overall effect. Thus, our findings highlight the importance of sexualizing media exposure on women’s and men’s objectified self- concept. We discuss future research directions and implications for practice. We hope that the article will stimulate researchers in their future work to address the research gaps outlined here. Moreover, we hope that the findings will encourage practitioners and parents to reflect on the role of the use of sexualizing media in the development of individuals’ self-objectification. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl10.1177/0361684317743019
In this study, we drew on an integrated model of objectification and social comparison theories to test the associations between young women’s use of social networking sites and their body image concerns. A sample of 338 undergraduate women, aged 17–25 years, completed online questionnaire measures of engagement in three social networking site activities (browsing or following celebrity, fashion, and beauty sites, browsing or following fitspiration-related content, and placing importance on online “likes” and comments). Also assessed were upward appearance comparison, body surveillance, social appearance anxiety, and two indices of body image concerns (drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction). Structural equation modeling was used to test two competing models, both of which posited social appearance anxiety as the immediate precursor to body image concerns. In line with the integrated objectification-social comparison model, results supported a serial mediation model that comprised significant paths from two of the social networking site activities (browsing or following celebrity, fashion, and beauty sites, and placing importance on online “likes” and comments) through, in turn, upward appearance comparison, body surveillance, and social appearance anxiety, to drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. Viewing fitspiration-related content was associated with body image concerns directly, rather than indirectly. Findings highlight objectification and appearance comparison factors as targets for future interventions regarding appearance-related social networking site use.
This study investigated the association between the endorsement of feminine gender role norms and self-objectifying beliefs and behaviors in self-identified feminist and non-feminist women. One hundred and ninety-seven predominantly White heterosexual cisgender women attending a large university in southwestern Canada completed the study questionnaires for course credit. A one-way ANOVA demonstrated no differences in self-objectification between self-identified feminist and non-feminist women. Compared to non-feminist women, however, feminist women were less likely to endorse feminine norms for sexual fidelity, romantic relationships, and domesticity. Regression analyses indicated more endorsement of thinness, investment in appearance, and romantic relationships and less endorsement of domesticity accounted for unique variance in self-objectification. Overall, this study provides further evidence for the association between endorsement of feminine norms, especially the norms for beauty and romance, and the adoption of an objectified self-view, even among feminist women.
The present study aimed to identify the specific social networking sites (SNS) features that relate to body image concerns in young women. A total of 259 women aged 18-29years completed questionnaire measures of SNS use (Facebook and Instagram) and body image concerns. It was found that appearance-focused SNS use, rather than overall SNS use, was related to body image concerns in young women. Specifically, greater engagement in photo activities on Facebook, but not general Facebook use, was associated with greater thin-ideal internalisation and body surveillance. Similarly, following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram was associated with thin-ideal internalisation, body surveillance, and drive for thinness, whereas following appearance-neutral accounts was not associated with any body image outcomes. Implications for future SNS research, as well as for body image and disordered eating interventions for young women, are discussed.