Social media and eating and body image concerns among men and boys

Alexandra Rhodes Lonergan, Deborah Mitchison, Kay Bussey, Jasmine Fardouly

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Social networking sites (SNS) are a ubiquitous form of communication across age and cultural groups. Compared to women, investigation into the relationship between SNS and eating and body image concerns among men is limited. Men and boys tend to engage with SNS that provide information, such as YouTube and Twitter. However, they also engage in appearance-based behaviors, such as editing and posting images to Instagram, often in the form of “selfies.” They may also seek out muscularity-related content and engage in SNS behaviors related to this preoccupation. Appearance-based SNS behaviors appear to confer the greatest risk for muscularity concerns and disordered eating. Those who engage in social comparison with other users in their network and seek out muscularity- and diet-related SNS content may be particularly vulnerable. Developers of SNS literacy interventions may consider adapting existing programs to better target the experience of eating and body image concerns as they present among boys and men. Clinicians may also assess how men and boys engage with SNS and appearance-based behaviors and whether these factors contribute or maintain eating disorder symptoms.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationEating disorders in boys and men
    EditorsJason M. Nagata, Tiffany A. Brown, Stuart B. Murray, Jason M. Lavender
    Place of PublicationCham, Switzerland
    PublisherSpringer, Springer Nature
    Chapter20
    Pages307-316
    Number of pages10
    ISBN (Electronic)9783030671273
    ISBN (Print)9783030671266
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 12 Apr 2021

    Keywords

    • social media
    • selfies
    • self-construction
    • muscularity fitspiration
    • social comparison

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