SOCIAL MEDIA
New research suggests social media has a negative impact on body image. So how can you navigate your feeds without comparing yourself to an unrealistic ideal?
My entire social media feed was filled almost exclusively with bodybuilders and fitness influencers flexing and posing with large and lean physiques,” says George Mycock. “Even when I achieved a similar body, the normal fluctuations that happen to our bodies felt unacceptable to me, as it didn’t match the perfect images which I saw online.”
Mycock suffers from muscle dysmorphia, also dubbed ‘bigorexia’, a form of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). The condition was first recognised in 1891 and has many facets, according to the NHS, with sufferers struggling with concerns about how their face looks, comparing specific body parts and either avoiding or spending long periods of time in front of the mirror.
“At its worst I was exercising more than all my friends, following an ever-more restrictive diet, and spending hours a day ‘body checking’ in mirrors and squeezing muscles to check they still felt how I ‘needed’ them to.”
As the founder of MyoMinds, a company offering advice around exercise and mental health, and a PhD candidate exploring muscularity associated psychosocial issues in men, he has seen up close how the modern phenomena of Instagram and TikTok, in particular, have played into people’s issues with BDD and poor body image.
A 2023 study in Psychology of Popular Media, which involved 220 participants, found that those which reduced their social media use by 50% over a four-week period enjoyed a notable boost in appearance and weight esteem. Researchers concluded that, “Findings suggest that reducing [social media use] on smartphones may be a feasible and effective method of improving body image in a vulnerable population of youth.”
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“ More often than not, we’re only seeing the highlights of people’s lives when using social media, which makes it much easier for us to begin comparing ourselves to others, and experience a rise in judgmental thoughts,” says Dr Sophie Mort, Clinical Psychologist at mental wellbeing app Headspace.
“It’s no secret that social media negatively impacts our view of the world,” adds Mycock, when discussing his own experiences. “The more you see the carefully crafted windows into people’s lives, the more you believe that’s how others live.”
Counsellor James Aviaz says staying watchful with regards to social media is an essential first step for anyone concerned they’re spending too much time looking at fitness content. “They are all platforms designed for comparison,” he says. “So if you’re there for long enough, you will get sucked in. It’s dangerous when anyone's self-worth is anchored to the expectations of others.
