Researchers have found body image pressures on young women can be reduced by deliberately changing their social media feeds.
A team of researchers from Griffith, Flinders and Sunshine Coast universities recruited 230 Australian women aged 17-35 to participate in a seven-day social media intervention.
They found deliberately curating content on social media reduced self-objectification and perceived pressure from social media to meet beauty standards.
Unfollowing appearance-focused content and instead following body-positive accounts that promote body acceptance and appreciation without sexualising women’s bodies reduced appearance pressures.
Dr Veya Seekis from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology said the findings highlighted how social media users could take greater control of their online experiences.
“Content doesn’t need to focus on bodies or appearance to be beneficial,” Dr Seekis said.
“Following nature-focused accounts can also help reduce appearance pressures while increasing feelings of connectedness to nature.”
