Body image and social media are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain social media, and social media frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Social Media
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives social media
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary social media trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as social media
How Social Media Affects Body Image
Social Media can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Social Media Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by social media
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and social media