The Effects of Social Media on Perceived Body Satisfaction
It's probably about what you'd imagine.
Before reading, please note: This article mentions body image, appearance, and eating disorder symptoms. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, here are some helpful resources.
Many of us use social media for fitness inspiration but haven’t fully realized how social media can deeply impact how we feel about our body. We may think we’re resistant to it’s deepest appeal. However, even if we aren’t actively seeking fitness related content, it inevitably appears in our feeds causing us to be passively impacted by its presence.
In 1954, Leon Festinger proposed the “Social Comparison Theory” which posits that we evaluate aspects of our own self-worth by comparing ourselves to other people. There are many reasons why we engage in this behavior, not limited to social standing, self-evaluation, and self-enhancement.
Comparison works in two directions: upward and downward. Upward comparison occurs when we reflect on those we deem superior to ourselves in some way. It’s a reflection of our desire to be perceived as more elite or improve our status. Downward comparison takes place when we compare ourselves to others whom we believe are worse off than us in some way. By gaining perspective on others' circumstances, it can help place ours in a more favorable light which makes us feel better about ourselves.
Regardless of age, gender, or training experience, it seems no one is immune to the pervasive effects of subjective comparison. However, research indicates that those who intentionally seek out “fitspiration” end up being most negatively affected in the areas of body image, disordered eating, and self-compassion.
In a study comparing both men and women’s (age 20-30) social media usage on body image and exercise motivation, women were noted to have higher rates of body image dissatisfaction compared to men. This is largely driven by a pursuit of thinness in comparison to social media images depicting women who are in some cases underweight. Even when not intentionally seeking fitness content, images of thin models in advertisements and other media can perpetuate this comparison.
Furthermore, another study revealed that women who follow influencers that provide dietary content are more likely to report body dissatisfaction and experience symptoms of disordered eating. Diet culture is a pervasive issue within the fitness umbrella on social media. Many influencers who are not degreed and credentialed Registered Dieticians but rather, have some type of nutrition certification (which virtually anyone can get) perpetuate this restrictive diet culture.
Sadly, this doesn’t begin in young adulthood; it begins in childhood. Women are acutely aware of the disparity between their body size and the target of their comparison, even as young girls. This awareness results in decreased self-esteem and a greater emphasis in aesthetics over function. Compared to boys, girls tend to care more about their appearance rather than what their body is capable of doing.
As children become adolescents, body dissatisfaction becomes more prevalent. It’s important to note that body dissatisfaction doesn’t mean that everyone wants to be smaller. One study showed that male adolescents wanted to be bigger, while females wanted to be smaller. Perhaps more concerning was that girls who were underweight perceived their weight to be “normal”.
Adolescents who are satisfied with their bodies also positively view their abilities to engage in physical activity and their overall fitness. This is critically important for healthcare providers and fitness professionals to understand in regards to self-efficacy and self-esteem.
This is not to say that men aren’t contributing to vanity driven fitness because they certainly are. However, men are more motivated to spend more time exercising. This motivation is driven by a desire to improve strength, overcome a challenge, and reduce stress levels, among other reasons. Differences in exercise motivation and level may also be attributed to differences in cultural gender roles. Women spend more extraneous time caregiving and maintaining familial responsibilities, which can limit their time for self-care and exercise.
Ultimately men and women have different reasons for working out. Men are motivated by social competition and women are motivated by appearance. However, research has shown that women who exercise from this motivation (weight reduction) have a significantly decreased quality of life, compared to women that exercise for enjoyment and overall health.
So, while both men and women play the comparison game on social media, there are different motivating factors and resulting outcomes. Importantly, there is also a noted difference in self-criticism. Women tend to be more critical of themselves, while men tend to be more optimistic. This is likely because men view obtaining the ideal image as a challenge presented to them.
For others, chronicling their fitness journey on social media gives them a sense of validation and encouragement. While there is always a risk for disapproval and negative feedback, many report that social support enhances self-efficacy, motivation, and engagement in physical activity.
Aside from motivation, sharing fitness content can offer users a greater sense of belonging within their respective communities. The goal of self-presentation is to develop an idealized persona that validates one’s views through social reinforcement. Even when posting a seemingly self-deprecating post, the ultimate goal is to elicit support and positive feedback through the concern of others. (It’s quite fascinating when you really consider it.)
Research has shown that:
Both positive and negative self-presentation elicit social support.
Social support predicts physical activity self-efficacy
Social support doesn’t predict physical activity motivation.
Instead, physical activity self-efficacy (one’s confidence in their ability to engage in PA), was predictive of motivation.
Key points
Individuals should work to develop a realistic understanding of the effects of exercise for their own body. Just because you do everything that someone else is doing or recommending, does not mean you’ll look like them. Genetics, environmental factors, personal habits, and nutritional intake all are influential variables in appearance.
People need to exercise for themselves, rather than to become someone else. If finding inspiration on social media is compelling you to adopt the habits of others, find influencers who are in the same phase of life, same occupation, same body type, etc. as you in order to adopt more realistic habits (i.e. point 1). Unfollow everyone else - the unattainable influencer, the one pushing diet culture, the uncompassionate one - you get the gist. I’m going to also add here that these people are NOT the icons of health that you think they are. There are likely very unsafe practices to obtain and maintain their image happening behind the scenes.
Finding reasons to exercise for enjoyment, health, and mood are more important than weight loss when it comes to quality of life.
Parents play a critical role in self-esteem and healthy body perception in the lives of their children. They’re watching you and listening to you. Be kind to yourself, so they can be kind to themselves.
For some, social media can be a helpful tool in providing social support and increasing self-efficacy. However, each person has to be aware of how they consume social media and how it affects their mental, physical, and emotional health.
Simply Fit is a free, weekly newsletter written by me, Dr. Amanda Durall, a Kinesiology professor and ACSM certified fitness professional. My goal is to simplify exercise science and deliver practical recommendations to help you achieve your fitness goals. To support my work and help increase its visibility, consider subscribing and sharing with someone you know. Thanks for your support!
100%! While there is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight or changing one's body composition, I think we owe it to ourselves to evaluate our motivations for doing so. Hopefully, it's truly from our own desire and not from the pressures of societal norms.
The line between inspiring and toxic is indeed very thin on social media. I think people of all genders can benefit from learning to want to exercise from a place of health consciousness rather than appearance and ego.