Content viewed on social media often showcases idealized body standards, leading to increased body dissatisfaction and self-comparison. This exposure negatively impacts body image, resulting in reduced self-esteem and increased psychological distress among viewers.
Yan, X., Yan, J., Tan, C., Fu, Y., & Wang, S. (2025). Your fitness-sharing is a reminder for my poor body: How fitness posts exposure on social media harms female body esteem. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1515575. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1515575
Key Points
- Exposure to fitness posts on social media negatively affects female body esteem.
- Increased body surveillance is a critical mediator linking fitness posts exposure and lower body esteem.
- Women with high appearance-contingent self-worth experience intensified negative impacts from fitness posts exposure.
- Fitness posts emphasizing physical appearance harm body esteem more significantly than those focusing exclusively on fitness performance.
Rationale
Previous research has consistently indicated that exposure to idealized images on social media can lead to heightened body dissatisfaction and negative body talk among young women.
Social media inherently emphasizes visual content, frequently showcasing idealized and often unattainable body standards, which contributes to increased psychological pressure and dissatisfaction among women.
Despite extensive documentation of body image concerns, explicit research linking fitness post exposure specifically to lowered body esteem remains limited.
This research aims to address this gap by providing empirical evidence on the mechanisms linking fitness post exposure to negative body esteem, specifically exploring the roles of body surveillance and appearance-contingent self-worth.
Understanding these mechanisms is crucial, as it allows for targeted interventions and educational efforts to mitigate potential psychological harm.
Future research should further explore protective factors and alternative strategies that may buffer these negative effects, such as positive reinforcement and promoting diverse body types on social media platforms.
Method
A robust mixed-method approach was employed, comprising two studies. Study 1 used a correlational design via a comprehensive questionnaire survey to establish initial associations, while Study 2 adopted a controlled experimental design to examine causal relationships.
Procedure
- In Study 1, participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing frequency of fitness post exposure, body esteem, body surveillance, appearance-contingent self-worth, global self-esteem, and demographic details.
- Study 2 randomly assigned participants into three groups: exposure to appearance-focused fitness images, exposure to performance-only fitness images, and exposure to neutral travel images. Post-exposure, participants completed surveys evaluating their body surveillance behaviors and current body esteem.
Sample
- Study 1 included 259 female undergraduates, predominantly of Han ethnicity, averaging 20.15 years in age, with an average BMI of 19.94.
- Study 2 comprised 180 female undergraduates, again primarily of Han ethnicity, averaging 19.88 years in age, with an average BMI of 20.03.
Measures
- Fitness posts exposure: Assessed how frequently participants viewed fitness-related posts on social media.
- Body surveillance: Evaluated the extent to which participants monitored and evaluated their bodies.
- Body esteem: Captured participants’ self-evaluations regarding their physical appearance and body-related satisfaction.
- Appearance-contingent self-worth: Measured how significantly individuals base their self-worth on their appearance.
- Global self-esteem: Assessed general self-esteem independent of specific domains or contexts.
Statistical Measures
- Correlation analyses identified initial relationships between variables.
- Regression analyses and moderated mediation analyses explored predictive relationships and moderation effects.
- Analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared effects across experimental conditions in Study 2.
Results
- Frequent exposure to fitness posts was significantly associated with reduced body esteem.
- Body surveillance behaviors significantly mediated the relationship between fitness posts exposure and lower body esteem.
- Appearance-contingent self-worth intensified the mediation effect, with women placing high importance on appearance experiencing greater negative impacts.
- Exposure to appearance-focused fitness content significantly reduced body esteem compared to fitness content focusing solely on performance.
- Women exposed to appearance-focused fitness content showed higher levels of body surveillance compared to those viewing performance-focused or neutral content.
- Performance-only fitness content did not significantly differ in its impact on body esteem from neutral travel content.
Insight
This study elucidates the psychological harm associated with social media fitness content that emphasizes physical appearance.
It extends existing literature by clearly identifying the roles of body surveillance and appearance-contingent self-worth in mediating and moderating the impact of fitness-related content on body esteem.
These insights provide a clear understanding of vulnerability factors that contribute to negative psychological outcomes and suggest that reducing appearance-based social media consumption may alleviate such effects.
Future research should investigate interventions and protective factors, such as media literacy training and fostering resilience to social comparison, to mitigate these negative outcomes.
Implications
Practitioners, educators, and policymakers should leverage these findings to develop targeted educational programs and public health campaigns.
Recommendations include initiatives to educate young women about the unrealistic nature of idealized social media images and to foster internal sources of self-worth.
Implementation efforts might encounter resistance due to entrenched social norms around appearance, thus requiring concerted efforts and strategic interventions across multiple societal and institutional levels.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
- Combines both correlational and experimental methodologies, enhancing robustness.
- Examines moderating factors such as appearance-contingent self-worth to provide deeper insights.
- Clear and systematic hypothesis testing supported by rigorous statistical analyses.
Limitations
This study also had several limitations, including:
- Homogenous sample limited to female Chinese undergraduates, reducing generalizability.
- Did not distinguish between passive and active social media engagement.
- Potential confounding effects due to variability in exercise types within fitness posts.
Socratic Questions
- How might cultural factors alter the impact of fitness posts on body esteem?
- Could other forms of contingent self-worth similarly affect body surveillance and esteem?
- What strategies could effectively reduce harmful effects from appearance-focused social media use?
- How might passive versus active engagement with fitness content differentially impact body esteem?
- What potential positive effects from fitness-related social media use could be explored and leveraged further?
