#mybestmidlife: Profiles of photo-based social media use and body image among midlife women

Empirical data, predominantly from young women, suggest photo-based social media use is associated with greater body dissatisfaction. The present study aimed to extend these findings to midlife women and identify risk profiles for maladaptive appearance-focused social media use. A convenience sample of female Instagram users aged 40 or over (M= 50.92 years) (n = 192) was collected. Most participants were partnered, white, highly educated, and heterosexual. A cluster analysis in cross-sectional data grouped participants into four categories according to body image indices (following body positive or fitness accounts, body appreciation and dissatisfaction, thin and muscular ideal internalization, and appearance comparison). Differences by cluster emerged according to indices of social media use (e.g., photo editing, social media rumination), although following appearance-related content across types seemed to distinguish risk profiles more than the types of appearance-related content engaged with (i.e., body positive vs fitness). Furthermore, results indicated that higher social media use was associated with greater perceived negative effects of social media, suggesting that awareness alone may be insufficient to reduce behavioral risk. Findings indicate that some midlife women who use photo-based social media may be at high risk for appearance concerns, warranting further research and resource development for this group.

Can following body positive or appearance neutral Facebook pages improve young women's body image and mood? Testing novel social media micro-interventions

Small changes to social media use could have a large impact across the population. The present study tested novel social media micro-interventions (i.e., brief content delivered in everyday life) in which young women (N = 159) were instructed to either (1) follow a body positive Facebook group, (2) follow an appearance neutral Facebook group, or (3) use Facebook as usual. Relevant content was posted to the Facebook groups three times per day for two weeks. Primary outcomes were trait body image (body dissatisfaction and appreciation) and mood, and secondary outcomes were trait self-objectification, appearance comparison tendency, and body activism. Outcomes were assessed across three timepoints: pre-test (T1), post-test (T2) after the 14-day intervention period, and follow-up (T3) 4-weeks after T2. Participants in both the body positive and appearance neutral conditions reported decreased body dissatisfaction from T1 to T2 (small-medium effects) and participants in the body positive condition reported decreased appearance comparisons from T1 to T2 (medium effect). There were no changes for those variables from T2 to T3. No other significant differences were found. Viewing a small number of body positive or appearance neutral posts on social media may be an effective inexpensive micro-intervention for improving young women's body image.

Effects of COVID-19 specific body positive and diet culture related social media content on body image and mood among young women

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media content emerged that included explicit weight and shape pressure. In addition, however, body positive social media content that was pandemic-specific appeared. This study aimed to examine the effects of body positive and diet culture COVID-19 body-related social media content on the body image and mood of young women. A sample of 387 female identifying participants aged 18-25 were allocated to view one of three sets of social media images: body positive or diet related content specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, or a travel condition. Body image and mood before and after viewing the images were assessed. Trait level social media literacy and current social distancing and isolation restrictions were examined as moderators. Exposure to the body positive content was associated with improved body image and mood as compared to the diet culture content. No support was found for moderating effects although social media literacy was associated with improved body image after exposure. Findings suggest that even in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, body positive content may be helpful to body image. Further work examining inter-individual differences in the effects of social media on body image and mood are warranted.

Promoting body positivity through stories: How protagonist body size and esteem influence readers' self-concepts

Through two experiments (N = 497), we documented how distinct portrayals of women in stories can impact readers' engagement in social comparisons and influence important aspects of their self-concepts. Specifically, this research investigated the effects of character body size (thin vs. large), body esteem (low vs. high), and story ending valence (sad vs. happy) with two distinct storylines. Results indicated that high (vs. low) body esteem characters are not only rated more aspirational, but also led readers with greater self-discrepancy to report lower state body image, suggesting upward social comparison processes are at play. Further, results indicated that reading about characters with large (vs. thin) bodies can positively affect readers' body image; however, this positive effect may be explained by downward social comparison. Findings highlight the complexities of body appearance and confidence. Strategies for effectively promoting body positivity via text-based interventions are discussed.

#Body goals or #Bopo? Exposure to pregnancy and post-partum related social media images: Effects on the body image and mood of women in the peri-pregnancy period

Women who are pregnant or have recently given birth use social media where they may encounter content promoting appearance ideals or offering more realistic representations of the body during this unique period. To date, little is known regarding the ways in which different social media content may impact the body image and mood of women who are pregnant or postpartum. A sample of 261 participants aged 21-44, mean (SD) age = 31.79 (4.402), were randomly allocated online to view either thin-and-toned ideal or body positive social media content specific to the pregnancy and postpartum period, or a neutral travel condition. Findings revealed that exposure to the body positive images had positive effects on body image relative to the thin-and-toned ideal condition, as well as leading to increases in some indices of positive body image, while the thin-ideal images were harmful. Partial support emerged for the protective roles of body appreciation and low social media-related rumination among women exposed to the thin-and-toned ideal images. Social media content may be harmful or helpful to the body image and mood of pregnant and postpartum women, which is important given the documented relationships between maternal body image, mood, and maternal and infant outcomes.

A Body-Neutral and Gender-Neutral Modified Ferriman-Gallwey Diagram

BACKGROUND

The modified Ferriman-Gallwey (mFG) diagram for scoring hirsutism uses images with traditionally Eurocentric feminine features. No reports have documented its utility in patients with other gender identities.

CASE

A 16-year-old nonbinary masculine patient, assigned female sex at birth, was seen for hyperandrogenism and irregular menses. They declined an exam, citing body dysphoria, and declined self-documenting on the mFG diagram, expressing anxiety with gendered images. We subsequently developed a novel, gender-inclusive mFG diagram, which the patient was then comfortable using to document their hair pattern.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

This case documents how the binary gendered characteristics of the mFG diagram can impact the care of patients. As gender expression is highly individual, we created the first gender-inclusive version of the mFG diagram to enhance care for all patients.

#Bopo: Enhancing body image through body positive social media- evidence to date and research directions

Body positive content aims to disrupt the monopoly of idealized appearance-focused media and encourage individuals to adopt a positive stance towards their body by increasing diversity and inclusiveness and rejecting harmful appearance ideals. This paper provides an historical context for the body positivity movement, discusses the presence and characteristics of the online body positivity movement, presents evidence of its relationship to body image, and finally offers directions for future research. Findings provide initial support for the potential for body positive social media content to be beneficial for body image, and lower state appearance comparison has received support as a mechanism underpinning these effects. However, efforts to identify individual-level moderators have met with less success, and the research is somewhat confined to comparative effects with idealized social media content, and young women. Additional work to bridge the gaps in the extant data is needed. In particular, expanding the understanding of which types of body positive social media content can be most helpful to both prevent and decrease body image concerns and promote positive body image using a layered lens that considers the interactions of the individual, their context, and the type of body positive social media content will be most fruitful.

Objectifying the body positive movement: The effects of sexualizing and digitally modifying body-positive images on Instagram

The body positive movement on social media seeks to challenge narrow conceptualizations of beauty that media outlets traditionally perpetuate and reinforce. Through a 2 × 2 between-subjects online experiment, we examined how the nature and authenticity of body-positive imagery on social media affects female viewers and their evaluations of body-positive content (N = 425, M_age = 35.47, SD_age = 13.52). Specifically, participants viewed and reacted to a series of 10 body-positive images of women on social media varying in their degree of sexualization (sexualized vs. non-sexualized) and evidence of digital photo modifications (modification icons vs. no modification icons). A control group that featured landscape images was also included. Results indicate body-positive images that are considered sexualized and are believed to be digitally modified can undercut the movement's intended aims: Participants who viewed body-positive images that were sexualized (vs. non-sexualized) and included photo modification icons (vs. no modification icons) reported greater endorsement of traditional beauty ideals (e.g., thinness) and thought the images were shared for self-serving reasons (e.g., to gain likes/shares/endorsements); these relationships were mediated by the extent to which viewers believed these images were sexualized and digitally modified. Further, results indicate that sexualized body-positive images can instigate sexual objectification of others and oneself. Those who viewed control images (vs. experimental body-positive images) produced significantly fewer sexually objectifying words about others and themselves. Implications for both viewers and producers (e.g., individuals, corporations) of body-positive imagery on social media are discussed in light of objectification theory.

#Loveyourbody: The effect of body positive Instagram captions on women's body image

One increasing trend on social media is the posting of body positive content that aims to challenge narrow beauty ideals and instead promote acceptance and appreciation of all bodies. The aim of the present study was to experimentally investigate the effect of body positive captions attached to Instagram images on young women's body image. Participants were 384 women aged 18-30 years randomly assigned to view Instagram images of thin or average-sized women containing either body positive captions or no captions. In contrast to prediction, the body positive captions had no effect on body dissatisfaction or body appreciation. There was a significant effect of image type, whereby the average images resulted in less body dissatisfaction and greater body appreciation than the thin images. A significant three-way interaction indicated that for women high on thin-ideal internalisation, body positive captions on average images led to greater body appreciation, but lower body appreciation when attached to thin images. The results suggest that the visual imagery of an Instagram post is a more potent contributor to body image than any accompanying text. Presenting a more diverse array of women's bodies on social media is likely a more effective way to foster body satisfaction and appreciation.

The effect of #enhancement-free Instagram images and hashtags on women's body image

Instagram is a popular social networking site where users can post and share photos. One increasing trend on the site is the posting of natural and unaltered images. The present study aimed to experimentally investigate the effect of enhancement-free (i.e., no makeup, no digital alteration) Instagram images and their accompanying hashtags on women's body image. Participants were 204 female undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to view one of three sets of Instagram images: standard (i.e., idealised) images, enhancement-free images, or the same set of enhancement-free images with hashtags indicating their enhancement-free nature. As predicted, exposure to enhancement-free images resulted in significantly lower facial dissatisfaction than exposure to the standard images. However, the addition of hashtags resulted in significantly greater facial dissatisfaction than the same enhancement-free images with no hashtags. There were no significant effects for body dissatisfaction. Effects on facial dissatisfaction were moderated by self-photo manipulation, whereby the difference between standard and enhancement-free images was greater for women who digitally manipulate their own photos. Overall, the findings suggest that, under some conditions, enhancement-free images have the potential to protect Instagram users against appearance concerns.