Seeking Approval of Appearance The Link Between Social Media Use in China and Body Image Concerns

Abstract

Various scholars have verified that viewing beauty-related content on social media encourages valuing these idealized and unrealistic body shapes. A person's ideas, feelings, and perceptions regarding their body are referred to as their body image. A verified scale was used to assess individuals' appearance-related social media awareness. The study collected data from 229 respondents in China, aged 15 to 60, intending to examine whether individuals' preferences for receiving feedback from strangers or close peers would influence their body image concerns. The results show that people who prioritize comments from unknown people about their photos tend to be less satisfied than those who prioritize comments from people close to them. In addition, the study finds that men have a more neutral attitude towards related content, while women have a more positive attitude. In addition, the study highlights that the proportion of men and women who do not engage in photo editing habits is almost equal, suggesting that when examining the influence of social media on body image, further examination of the mental differences between the sexes is required.