Cited by 401Eating Disorders and BehaviorsBody Image and Dysmorphia StudiesGender, Feminism, and Media

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#bodypositivity: A content analysis of body positive accounts on Instagram

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Cohen, Rachel, Irwin, Lauren, Newton-John, Toby, Slater, Amy·2019·Body Image

DOI 10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.02.007

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In the last decade, the body image literature has begun to extend beyond a primary focus on body image disturbances and examine the construct of positive body image. Similarly, "Body positivity" is a growing social media trend that seeks to challenge dominant societal appearance ideals and promote acceptance and appreciation of all bodies and appearances. The present study provides a content analysis of body positive posts on Instagram. A set of 640 Instagram posts sampled from popular body positive accounts were coded for physical appearance-related attributes and central themes featured. Results showed that body positive imagery typically depicted a broad range of body sizes and appearances. Additionally, while a proportion of posts were appearance-focused, the majority of posts conveyed messages aligned with theoretical definitions of positive body image. This study clarifies body positive content on Instagram, as well as highlights points of overlap and distinction from academic principles of positive body image and other appearance-focused social media content. Accordingly, the results offer theoretical and practical implications for future research and prevention efforts.

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Authors: Cohen, R., Irwin, L., Newton-John, T., & Slater, A.
Affiliations: University of Technology Sydney (AU)
The University of Sydney (AU)
University of the West of England (GB)
Corresponding author: Cohen, Rachel
ORCID: Cohen, Rachel
Irwin, Lauren
Newton-John, Toby
Slater, Amy
Venue: Body Image
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2019-06
Volume: 29
Pages: 47-57
ISSN: 1740-1445 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.02.007
OpenAlex: W2918731349
Cited by: 401
References: 74
Citations by year: 2026: 38 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 64 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 73 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 9
FWCI: 51.10
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
eprints.uwe.ac.uk
Licence: cc-by-nc-nd
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
Locations: Body Image (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion)
Funders: Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Feminism, and Media
Keywords: body positivity, positive body image, Instagram, social media, appearance ideals, body size, body acceptance
MeSH terms: Body Image, Humans, Social Media

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#bodypositivity: A content analysis of body positive accounts on Instagram

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