“Fitspiration” on Social Media: A Content Analysis of Gendered Images

Abstract

Background “Fitspiration” (also known as “fitspo”) aims to inspire individuals to exercise and be healthy, but emerging research indicates exposure can negatively impact female body image. Fitspiration is frequently accessed on social media; however, it is currently unclear the degree to which messages about body image and exercise differ by gender of the subject. Objective The aim of our study was to conduct a content analysis to identify the characteristics of fitspiration content posted across social media and whether this differs according to subject gender. Methods Content tagged with #fitspo across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr was extracted over a composite 30-minute period. All posts were analyzed by 2 independent coders according to a codebook. Results Of the 415/476 (87.2%) relevant posts extracted, most posts were on Instagram (360/415, 86.8%). Most posts (308/415, 74.2%) related thematically to exercise, and 81/415 (19.6%) related thematically to food. In total, 151 (36.4%) posts depicted only female subjects and 114/415 (27.5%) depicted only male subjects. Female subjects were typically thin but toned; male subjects were often muscular or hypermuscular. Within the images, female subjects were significantly more likely to be aged under 25 years ( P <.001) than the male subjects, to have their full body visible ( P =.001), and to have their buttocks emphasized ( P <.001). Male subjects were more likely to have their face visible in the post ( P =.005) than the female subjects. Female subjects were more likely to be sexualized than the male subjects ( P =.002). Conclusions Female #fitspo subjects typically adhered to the thin or athletic ideal, and male subjects typically adhered to the muscular ideal. Future research and interventional efforts should consider the potential objectifying messages in fitspiration, as it relates to both female and male body image.

Young People�s Experiences of Viewing the Fitspiration Social Media Trend: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

“…The issues of frustration, guilt and feeling addicted to viewing Fitspirational posts are novel insights emerging from the current study. Negative effects of exposure to Fitspiration on self-esteem, body image and disordered eating have been demonstrated [3] and speculated upon [7][8][9][10][11][12][13] previously and the accounts of our participants are in line with these studies and also the proposition that social comparison on the basis of appearance is one of the routes by which Fitspiration produces negative psychological effects [3].…”

“…The existing literature is limited, given the newness of the trend, but has centred around the concerning nature of the images and content and possible effects on mental health (including disordered eating), body image and self-esteem. A number of studies using content analysis have concurred in finding that Fitspiration posts perpetuate pervading body image ideals (very lean females, very muscular men), are sexually objectifying, and tend to emphasise appearance over health [7][8][9][10][11]. However, Deighton-Smith's [11] analysis also identified some potentially positive features including the emphasis placed on personal control and commitment, and the building of a sense of community and social support.…”

Personal and reported partner pornography viewing by Australian women, and association with mental health and body image

“…Participants already viewed and demonstrated a preference to seek out images of bodies, often minimally clothed and sexualised. 30 Viewing this content may itself increase body dissatisfaction, 31 masking additional effects of pornography. Furthermore, higher baseline levels of psychological distress may have hindered detection of additional effects of pornography.…”

Understanding how Social Media Imagery EmpowersCaregivers: an Analysis of Microcephaly in Latin America

“…For a fine-grained analysis, qualitative aspects, and semantic interpretation, manual approaches (such as: coding) are well-suited. The methods used were based on an exploratory analysis with Keyhole on a subset of images to identify high level themes, inspired by prior work [10]. 10 unrelated posts were discarded; 490 images remained for analysis.…”

“…Besides seeking health information online, caregivers are also active users of social media [35]. Despite risks involving privacy and social comparisons [10], social media aids in healthcare enabling users to find support, information and motivation [21]. Thanks to the usage of social media to exchange medical information and provide support [33], social media analytics has become viable for large-scale public health studies [18].…”