Abstract
Poor body image is often attributed to the promotion of unachievable appearance-ideals in the media. Typically, the media promotes a thin-ideal for women and a muscular-ideal for men. With the advent of social media, the promotion of these unachievable appearance-ideals has skyrocketed. In the current studies, we experimentally manipulate the appearance-ideals promoted on social media and investigate their impact on female (Study 1) and male participants (Study 2). In Study 1, female participants viewed picture-based content that promoted a thin-ideal, promoted normal bodies, or consisted of nature photos (control condition). Mood, self-esteem, and body satisfaction were measured both before and after viewing the picture-based content. Trait body appreciation, self-objectification, and social comparison tendency were also measured. Consistent with our hypotheses, exposure to thin-ideal content was associated with decreases in mood, self- esteem, and body satisfaction. In contrast, content that promoted normal bodies was associated with increases in mood, self-esteem, and body satisfaction. Additionally, self-objectification marginally mediated the decrease in body satisfaction experienced by participants in the thin-ideal condition. In Study 2, male participants viewed picture-based content that promoted a muscular- ideal or consisted of nature photos (control condition). Similar to Study 1, males exposed to the muscular-ideal posts displayed decreases in mood and body satisfaction. Overall, these findings suggest that picture-based social media content promoting appearance-ideals may contribute to poor body image in both women and men. Given this, efforts must be made to combat these negative effects. Promising approaches include school-based body image programs and the diversification of the body types people are exposed to on image-based platforms.