The effect of exposure to parodies of thin-ideal images on young women’s body image and mood

Although social networking services typically promote the thin beauty ideal for women, they also provide an opportunity for users to challenge this dominant ideal in unique and novel ways. This study aimed to experimentally investigate the influence of exposure to humorous, parody images of thin-ideal celebrity Instagram posts on women’s body satisfaction and mood compared to exposure to thin-ideal celebrity posts alone. Participants were 102 women aged 18–30 years who were randomly allocated to view either a set of Instagram images of thin-ideal celebrity posts or humorous parody images of the same celebrity posts. Results indicated that acute exposure to parody images led to increased body satisfaction and positive mood (happiness) compared to exposure to the thin-ideal celebrity images alone. No group differences were found on levels of trait appearance comparison or social media literacy, and the findings were not moderated by trait levels of thin-ideal internalisation. The findings provide preliminary support for the use of humorous, parody images for improving body satisfaction and positive mood in young women and add to the small but growing body of research highlighting potentially positive effects of social media.