Abstract
In this paper we provide a commentary on Perloff’s theoretical perspectives and agenda for research that examines the effects of social media on young women’s body image concerns. Social media are the main form of mass media being used by the youth of today, and researchers in the U.S. and Australia have commenced studying how these may be affecting body image concerns. However, the processes underlying how social media may influence young people’s body image appear to be no different from underlying other forms of mass media. Research is needed to more fully evaluate youth’s experiences of online appearance culture and how this may foster both negative and positive peer interactions. We also need more studies which compare the influences on social media with other media forms as there is no clear evidence that social networking sites and other forms of social media are more detrimental to one’s body image than other forms of media. We also consider factors that may protect young people from internalizing appearance ideals that are promoted by the mass media. In addition, we consider broader conceptualizations of body image so that a wider range of human experiences can be studied.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2007). Personality, individual differences and internet use. In A. N. Joinson, K. Y. A. McKenna, T. Postmes, & U. D. Reips (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of internet psychology (pp. 187–204). New York: Oxford University Press.
Bair, C. E., Kelly, N. R., Serdar, K. L., & Mazzeo, S. E. (2012). Does the Internet function like magazines? An exploration of image-focused media, eating pathology, and body dissatisfaction. Eating Behaviors, 13, 398–401. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2012.06.003.
Bardone-Cone, A. M., & Cass, K. M. (2007). What does viewing a pro-anorexia website do? An experimental examination of website exposure and moderating effects. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40, 537–548. doi:10.1002/eat.
Blackman, L. (2008). The body: The key concepts. Oxford: Berg.
Coakley, S. (1997). Religion and the body. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dittmar, H. (2005). Introduction to the special issue: Body image—vulnerability factors and processes linking sociocultural pressures and body dissatisfaction. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24, 1081–1087. doi:10.1521/jscp.2005.24.8.1081.
Eveland, W. P., Jr. (2003). A “mix of attributes” approach to the study of media effects and new communication technologies. Journal of Communication, 53, 395–410. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2003.tb02598.x.
Green, M. C., & Dill, K. E. (2013). Engaging with stories and characters: Learning, persuasion, and transportation into narrative worlds. In K. E. Dill (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of media psychology (pp. 449–461). New York: Oxford University Press.
Griffith, R. M. (2004). Born again bodies: Flesh and spirit in American Christianity. Berkley: University of California Press.
Grosz, E. (1994). Volatile bodies: Toward a corporeal feminism. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Gunther, A. C., & Storey, J. D. (2003). The influence of presumed influence. Journal of Communication, 53, 199–215. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2003.tb02586.x.
Johnson, M. (2007). The meaning of the body. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lelwica, M. M. (1999). Starving for salvation: The spiritual dimension of eating problems among American girls and women. New York: Oxford University Press.
Levin, D. M. (2003). Meaning and the history of the body: Toward a post-modern medicine. In M. Schlitz, T. Amorok, & M. S. Micozzi (Eds.), Consciousness and healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine (pp. 93–103). St Louis: Elsevier.
Levine, M. P., & Harrison, K. (2009). Effects of media on eating disorders and body image. In J. Bryant & M.B. Oliver (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (3rd ed., pp. 490–516). New York: Routledge.
Levine, M. P., & Chapman, K. (2011). Media influences on body image. In T. F. Cash & L. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of science, practice, and prevention (2nd ed., pp. 101–109). New York: Guilford Press.
Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social media effects of young women’s body image concerns: Theoretical perspectives and an agenda for research. Sex Roles, this issue. doi:10.1007/s11199-014-0384-6.
Polivy, J., & Herman, C. P. (2002). Causes of eating disorders. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 187–213. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135103.
Schroeder, J. E., & Borgerson, J. L. (1998). Marketing images of gender: A visual analysis. Consumption, Markets and Culture, 2, 161–201. doi:10.1080/10253866.1998.9670315.
Shapiro, L. (2011). Embodied cognition. Oxon: Routledge.
Shisslak, C. M., & Crago, M. (2001). Risk and protective factors in the development of eating disorders. In J. K. Thompson & L. Smolak (Eds.), Body image, eating disorders, and obesity in youth (pp. 103–125). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Stuart, N. M. (2013). Major themes and photographers of the 20th Century. In M. R. Peres (Ed.), The focal encyclopaedia of photography (4th ed., pp. 177–178). Burlington: Focal Press.
Sundar, S. S., Oh, J., Kang, H., & Sreenivasan, A. (2013). How does technology persuade? Theoretical mechanisms for persuasive technologies. In J. P. Dillard & L. Shen (Eds.), The Sage handbook of persuasion: Developments in theory and practice (2nd ed., pp. 388–404). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Tatangelo, G., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2013). A qualitative study of preadolescent boys’ and girls’ body image, gendered ideals and sociocultural influences. Body Image, 10, 591–598. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.07.006.
Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2013). NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook, and body image concern in adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46, 630–633. doi:10.1002/eat.22141.
Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2014). NetTweens: The Internet and body image concerns in preteenage girls. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 34, 606–620. doi:10.1177/0272431613501083.
Ware, K. (1997). My helper and my enemy: The body in Greek Christianity. In S. Coakley (Ed.), Religion and the body (pp. 90–110). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Weiss, G. (1999). Body images: Embodiment as intercorporeality. New York: Routledge.
Wimmer, R. D., & Dominick, J. R. (2013). Mass media research: An introduction (10th ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Williams, R.J., Ricciardelli, L.A. Social Media and Body Image Concerns: Further Considerations and Broader Perspectives. Sex Roles 71, 389–392 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0429-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0429-x