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HURST_Body_Image_An_International_Journal_of_Research _JUL_2021.pdf (231.25 kB)

Body Positivity, but not for everyone: the role of model size in exposure effects on women’s mood, body satisfaction, and food choice

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posted on 2023-06-10, 00:25 authored by Kathleen Simon, Megan HurstMegan Hurst
Body Positivity (or ‘BoPo’) social media content may be beneficial for women’s mood and body image, but concerns have been raised that it may reduce motivation for healthy behaviours. This study examines differences in women’s mood, body satisfaction, and hypothetical food choices after viewing BoPo posts (featuring average or larger women) or a neutral travel control. Women (N = 167, 81.8 % aged 18–29) were randomly assigned in an online experiment to one of three conditions (BoPo-average, BoPo-larger, or Travel/Control) and viewed three Instagram posts for two minutes, before reporting their mood and body satisfaction, and selecting a meal from a hypothetical menu. Women who viewed the BoPo posts featuring average-size women reported more positive mood than the control group; women who viewed posts featuring larger women did not. There were no effects of condition on negative mood or body satisfaction. Women did not make less healthy food choices than the control in either BoPo condition; women who viewed the BoPo images of larger women showed a stronger association between hunger and calories selected. These findings suggest that concerns over BoPo promoting unhealthy behaviours may be misplaced, but further research is needed regarding women’s responses to different body sizes.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Body Image

ISSN

1740-1445

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

39

Page range

125-130

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2021-07-20

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2023-01-31

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2021-07-19

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