Social media has become a heavy presence in our society and researchers have taken notice. It might seem obvious (maybe not) but scrolling through Instagram and even putting yourself out there for display has played into negative body image. Don't believe it? A systematic review was conducted in 2016 with 20 papers worth of proof.
Research done on social media, body image and beauty standards suggests that who we compare ourselves to online plays an important role in how we see ourselves.“People are comparing their appearance to people in Instagram images, or whatever platform they're on, and they often judge themselves to be worse off,” said Jasmine Fardouly to the BBC, a postdoctoral researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. "In a survey of 227 female university students, women reported that they tend to compare their own appearance negatively with their peer group and with celebrities, but not with family members, while browsing Facebook. The comparison group that had the strongest link to body image concerns was distant peers, or acquaintances."
Not all pages are created equal when it comes to their effect on our psyche. Researchers found that “fitspiration” images in particular – which often feature beautiful people performing exercises, or at least pretending to – might make you harsher on yourself. In 2017 associate professor at the University of West England, Bristol, Amy Slater, published a study in 2017 in which 160 female undergraduates viewed either #fitspo, self compassion quotes, or a mix of both, all sourced from real accounts on Instagram. Those who viewed only #fitspo scored lower on self-compassion, but the ones who viewed the compassionate quotes (e.g. “You’re perfect just the way you are”) were nicer to themselves – and felt better about their bodies.
