Fitspirational: the relationship with your body

The genre of social content, especially Instagram, is one of the factors that contributes to the development of dysfunctional attitudes . These are related to one’s own body and to the constant comparison with others. Through the content we share with other users, we show a part of ourselves. Social media creates social pressure towards greater consent and approval through sharing. Users are led to constantly compare their behavior and lifestyle with the attitudes shared by social networks .

This plays a vital role in the development of eating disorders . For example, Instagram always giving prototypes of beauty without imperfections gives rise to even important pathologies. Users tend to follow celebrity, beauty and fitness profiles becoming more likely to develop dysfunctional outcomes.

This triggers a continuous comparison in terms of user adequacy with the standards of beauty transmitted by social media. Thus they trigger mechanisms in many users of dissatisfaction with their physical shape , leading to the desire for thinness, for example. A continuous comparison of the user’s body with that of others. First the physical dissatisfaction, then the drive towards thinness and finally the arrival of an eating disorder. In short, the implementation of behaviors aimed at drastically modifying the physical form which, if done excessively, become harmful.

This phenomenon was identified in a 2021 study. A group of female college students exposed to fitspiration content and another group related to travel were compared. In the latter one did not have the inclination to want to compare one’s physical form, having travel as the theme. Posting fitspiration content to the other group was linked to eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. A deep negative perception of ourselves . However, future insights into this topic will be useful.

• The fitspirational content of Instagram and the relationship with your body (stateofmind.it)