Exposure to so-called “positive” body images on social media reduces weight-related concerns among men.
- In the study, women reported being less satisfied with their bodies and more interested in losing weight.
- Men wanted to develop their muscles more.
- Exposure to “body positive” content increased body satisfaction and decreased the desire to lose weight in men and women.
“Body image issues are considered a public health problem. The rise of social media, particularly Instagram, indicates that young women and men are more exposed to ‘perfect body’ photos, which makes them less indulgent with themselves. (…) The ‘body positive’ movement aims to challenge unrealistic representations of the body and to promote its diverse and inclusive representation. The latter has become popular, but it is often perceived as not addressed only to women”, said Fabio Fasolilecturer in social psychology at the University of Surrey (United Kingdom).
207 young adults were exposed to “perfect body” photos and “body positive” content
With his team, the researcher wondered if “body positive” content had the same effects on men as on women. To answer this question, they carried out a study, the results of which were published in the journal Acta Psychologica. As part of this work, the scientists recruited 207 young men and women. Participants had to answer questions about their positive and negative emotions, their body satisfaction, their desire to lose weight and become more muscular. They completed this questionnaire before and after seeing photos of the “perfect body” (thin, fit women wearing bikinis or shirtless men with bulging abs), photos showing adults of different sizes and shapes or shapes. more images of landscapes or animals.
Body positivism: “These images are important to remind us that all bodies are different”
The authors found that, overall, women were more dissatisfied with their bodies and reported greater negative mood and a higher desire to lose weight than men. Men, on the other hand, wanted to be more muscular. According to the results, exposure to photos of the “perfect body” decreased positive emotions and body satisfaction in both sexes. In contrast, body positive content increased body satisfaction and reduced participants’ desire to lose weight, but it did not reduce men’s concerns about their muscularity. “These images are important to remind us that all bodies are different and that we should not compare ourselves to unrealistic photos published on social networks,” Fabio Fasoli said.
