Australian researchers analysed 100 of the most popular #Fitspiration Instagram accounts. They found dubious information, hypersexualisation and objectification.
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In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the University of South Australia found nearly two-thirds of the 100 influencers whose posts they studied publish dubious information. Around a quarter share images that are either hyper-sexualised (ie a sultry gaze, winking, or suggestive poses) - or objectifying (focused on one specific body part).
The content that fitness influencers post - seemingly with the intention of empowering their followers to pursue healthy lifestyles - is very, very popular, Dr Curtis says, so her research team wanted to assess the kind of messages it is sending.
They found that many Fitspiration images focus on what a body looks like rather than what it can body can do, she says.
Rather than showing fit healthy, bodies exercising, too much focus is being given to appearances and the idea that only certain types of bodies are healthy and attractive, Dr Curtis says. Often these are either extremely thin or extremely muscular.
She hopes that individual exercise influencers, knowing they have such large audiences, could become more mindful that the content they're posting promotes healthy body image.
In the meantime, we all could be a bit more conscious of what we're scrolling through in our Instagram feeds, Dr Curtis suggests.
Make a decision about whether the content you're seeing seems credible and ask if it's really useful to you.
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