The relationship between Facebook and Instagram appearance-focused activities and body image concerns in young women

Rachel Cohen; Toby Newton-John; Amy Slater

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.10.002

The relationship between Facebook and Instagram appearance-focused activities and body image concerns in young women

Body Image. 2017 Dec:23:183-187. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.10.002. Epub 2017 Oct 19.

Authors

Rachel Cohen¹, Toby Newton-John¹, Amy Slater²

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Sydney NSW 2007, Australia.
² Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom. Electronic address: amy.slater@uwe.ac.uk.

PMID: 29055773
DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.10.002

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the specific social networking sites (SNS) features that relate to body image concerns in young women. A total of 259 women aged 18-29years completed questionnaire measures of SNS use (Facebook and Instagram) and body image concerns. It was found that appearance-focused SNS use, rather than overall SNS use, was related to body image concerns in young women. Specifically, greater engagement in photo activities on Facebook, but not general Facebook use, was associated with greater thin-ideal internalisation and body surveillance. Similarly, following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram was associated with thin-ideal internalisation, body surveillance, and drive for thinness, whereas following appearance-neutral accounts was not associated with any body image outcomes. Implications for future SNS research, as well as for body image and disordered eating interventions for young women, are discussed.

Keywords: Body image; Eating disorders; Self-objectification; Social media; Social networking sites.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Body Image / psychology*
Female
Humans
Social Media / statistics & numerical data*
Social Networking*
Young Adult