Isolating the effects of body size and sexualisation in social media images on body image-related constructs among young women

Abstract

This study systematically separated the effects of body size and sexualisation in social media images on women’s body image. Young women (18–25 years, N = 194) viewed 10 social media images of either (1) sexualised women in larger bodies; (2) non-sexualised women in larger bodies; (3) sexualised women in smaller bodies; or (4) non-sexualised women in smaller bodies. Participants completed pre- and post-exposure measures of body image and related constructs. Thin ideal internalisation was examined as a moderator of those effects. The body size of the women in the images was more influential than how sexualized their bodies were presented. Regardless of sexualisation, viewing images of women with smaller bodies was negative for appearance satisfaction, negative mood, and body appreciation, and viewing women with larger bodies was positive for body appreciation and neutral for appearance satisfaction and mood. The impact of body size on appearance satisfaction was stronger for those high in thin ideal internalisation. Women with larger bodies were perceived more positively than those with smaller bodies. However, participants’ self-objectification increased in all conditions. Thus, while viewing images of women with larger bodies provides promise for improving social media, further research is needed before it is recommended broadly.