Small exposure to body positive content can improve body image.

A new study from UNSW Sydney shows that young women can feel better about their bodies if they see content on social media that celebrates different body types.

According to new research from UNSW Sydney, taking a short break from the constant stream of posts on social media that reinforce societal beauty standards can make a difference in one's level of satisfaction with their own bodies. Following social media pages that promote "body positivity," which is the celebration of different body sizes, shapes, colours, and abilities, can help young women improve their body image in their day-to-day lives, according to a study that was published in the journal Body Image.

Researchers from the School of Psychology at UNSW Science conducted an experiment to determine whether or not simply viewing a few body positive social media posts each day could have a positive impact on feelings of appreciation and satisfaction with one's body. To put it another way, would it be possible for participants to feel more secure about their bodies if they were exposed to a variety of messages that challenged unattainable standards of beauty and promoted body acceptance at every shape and size?

They found that women between the ages of 18 and 25 who looked at body-positive posts every day for 14 days felt better about their bodies and were less likely to compare themselves to other women. Even four weeks after seeing the content in question, their views of their bodies kept getting better.

Body positivity on social media can help reduce harmful comparisons and challenge unhealthy beauty standards, according to the study's lead author, Dr. Jasmine Fardouly, who also says that the study demonstrates how the study shows.

"A very brief intervention over a short time in which young women viewed a small number of body positive posts among the social media content they're regularly viewing was able to improve body image and reduce body comparisons," says Dr. Fardouly. "This was accomplished by viewing a small number of body positive posts among the social media content they're regularly viewing."

Due to the sheer amount of time that is spent on social media alone – the 159 people who participated in the study reported spending an average of two hours on Facebook on a regular day – even a minor adjustment in how it is used can have a significant effect.

"Body image is a huge problem all over the world. According to Dr. Fardouly, "we need to try and improve people's body image, especially through social media," which is where a lot of people spend their time and are exposed to societal beauty ideals at a young age. "So, we need to try and improve people's body image, especially through social media."

Dissatisfaction with one's appearance in modern society

Young women are especially likely to be unhappy with how they look, which can be bad for their mental health.

"Being dissatisfied with one's physical appearance is a risk factor for a variety of mental health disorders. According to Dr. Fardouly, "It is a significant predictor of eating disorders as well as depression, and it is also linked to some anxiety disorders."

She said the majority of young women all over the world are active on social media. At least in part, the high rates of body dissatisfaction that are seen today can be attributed to the content that can be found on social media platforms that portray unattainable beauty standards.

According to Dr. Fardouly, "it places a lot of pressure on young girls to look a certain way, at a time when the importance of peer acceptance and of being attractive to prospective romantic partners is salient." "It places a lot of pressure on young girls to look a certain way,"

But from a young age on, children everywhere are exposed to different ideas of beauty. Dr. Fardouly suggests that you consider the archetype of a Disney princess, which is one that many young girls aspire to be like. With very few exceptions, they show beauty and body proportions that aren't real. They also show other gender and cultural stereotypes.

"Children as young as six report having negative feelings about their bodies. Dr. Faroduly notes that young women in particular report saying things like "I need to be thinner" and dieting in an effort to reduce their body mass. "Social media is the newest place where these beauty ideals are being shared and where they are also being pushed and supported. Even though the ideals have been around for a while, the platforms have given them a new lease on life.

Young women are more likely to be unhappy with their bodies if they see curated, edited, or enhanced pictures of other young women on social media that fit narrow ideas of beauty. Users compare how attractive they are to the women in the pictures and decide that, overall, they are less attractive.

According to Dr. Fardouly, "there is a lot more opportunity to compare to others and internalise narrow societal appearance ideals" because there are so many more opportunities. "However, when we compare using social media, we discover that. We are not getting an accurate picture of someone because we are only seeing them in their best light.

The body positive movement seeks to challenge unattainable beauty standards rather than celebrate unattainable ideals of beauty such as clear skin, shiny hair, and tiny waists. The material encourages an acceptance of all different types of bodies and places more of an emphasis on one's overall health and function than on their outward appearance.

"To be able to challenge society's beauty ideals, we need to see bodies of different types, shapes, sizes, and colours," Dr. Fardouly says. "We need to see bodies of different colours."

According to the study's findings, exposure to content like this can help make social media a more supportive environment for positive body image.

The promotion of positive body image on social media.

Previous research on what happens when people look at positive body images on social media has found that the results of this study are the same. The study, which Dr. Fardouly helped to write, found that women felt better about their bodies and had better moods after seeing these kinds of posts on Instagram.

"We see this strategy as a micro-intervention – a small change we can make to improve people's experiences on social media and how they feel about themselves in day-to-day life," Dr. Fardouly says. "We see it as a way to improve people's experiences on social media and how they feel about themselves in day-to-day life." According to the findings of the current research, making just one post per day had the potential to produce positive effects. It's possible that increased visibility would have an even bigger impact.

It is interesting to note that a different group of people who took part in the study and viewed posts that were appearance-neutral, or content that was unrelated to a person's looks, also reported a reduction in their level of body dissatisfaction.

According to Dr. Fardouly, "even viewing content on social media that is appearance neutral appears to be beneficial for body image."

Other strenuous interventions, such as "detoxing," may also improve our health and well-being and have the potential to be effective. However, it is highly unlikely that people will adopt them en masse for extended periods of time, particularly adolescents.

"It is very unrealistic to expect that adolescents will completely stop using social media, which is why this strategy will not be effective over the long term. There will be no elimination of social media. "However, as our findings have demonstrated, the amount of time you spend on it is not nearly as important as the activities you engage in while you are using it," explains Dr. Fardouly.

According to Dr. Fardouly, it is even more important for people to view content that accurately reflects the diversity of appearance that exists in society as image- and video-based social media platforms become more prevalent.

"Platforms might benefit from incorporating a greater variety of factors into their algorithms. They have the ability to choose to include more body positive content in people's feeds and to promote it in a more prominent manner, according to Dr. Fardouly.

Even though the results are positive, Dr. Fardouly thinks more research needs to be done to find out what kinds of "body-positive content" have the biggest effect on how women feel about their bodies.

"We need to approach the content that is being presented to us under the guise of body positivity with a critical eye. "The quality does vary quite a bit, and we don't yet know enough about the particular composition of the content that is required to have positive effects – this is something that should be investigated further in future research," says Dr. Fardouly.