Imagery Matters: The Role of Fitness Influencers in the Reproduction of Socio-Cultural Gender Norms

Abstract

Introduction This research explored Instagram ‘Fitness Influencers’, to develop an understanding of the content they post online, the level of objectification and gender differences in the extent of this objectification. The media previously has presented gendered representations of women and men, with women subjected to greater objectification than males, with similar findings in social media research. Fitness Influencers are online micro-celebrities influential on young people, thus knowledge of the images being consumed is beneficial due to the associated detrimental effects of unconsciously internalising objectified media and that promoting unattainable beauty standards. Methods A content analysis of 90 influencer images was conducted to provide an understanding of the type of images shared, followed by a Chi square (χ2) to determine gender differences; the qualitative content analysis phase identified four main themes, lifestyle, brand endorsements, engaged in activity and objectification. Results There were no significant gender differences found (p>0.05) however, objectification sub-themes found significant differences in muscularity between males and females and in sultry poses (p<0.001), in line with gender stereotypes and norms in society. Conclusion The identification of greater objectification of males highlights the need for greater consideration for male’s body image, and greater consideration for the content being shared online more generally, due to the associated detrimental effects of consuming certain types of imagery.