Selfie-Posting and Young Adult Women’s Restrained Eating: The Role of Commentary on Appearance and Self-Objectification

Considering the prevalence of social networking sites (SNSs) and restrained eating among young adult women, the present study aimed to investigate the association between selfie-posting on an SNS (WeChat Moments, the most widely used SNS in China) and self-objectification among Chinese young adult w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sex roles 2020-02, Vol.82 (3-4), p.232-240
Main Authors: Niu, Gengfeng, Sun, Lijun, Liu, Qingqi, Chai, Huanyou, Sun, Xiaojun, Zhou, Zongkui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asian cultural groups
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Body weight
Females
Gender roles
Gender Studies
Medicine/Public Health
Original Article
Psychology
Risk factors
Social networks
Sociology
Undergraduate students
Women
Young adults
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Summary:Considering the prevalence of social networking sites (SNSs) and restrained eating among young adult women, the present study aimed to investigate the association between selfie-posting on an SNS (WeChat Moments, the most widely used SNS in China) and self-objectification among Chinese young adult women as well as the mediating effects of commentary on appearance and self-objectification from the perspective of self-perception theory and objectification theory. A sample of 886 female undergraduate students who had an active WeChat Moments account were recruited voluntarily to complete questionnaires on selfie-posting on SNS, general SNS use, commentary on appearance on SNSs, self-objectification, and restrained eating. The results indicated that after controlling for general SNS use, age, and BMI, selfie-posting on a SNS was positively associated with restrained eating. Commentary on appearance and self-objectification mediated this association, which contained three mediating paths: the separate mediating effects of commentary on appearance and self-objectification and the serial mediating effect of commentary on appearance and self-objectification. These results indicate that selfie-posting and commentary on appearance on a SNS rather than general SNS use are risk factors accounting for restrained eating, which has theoretical and practical implications in terms of SNS use and restrained eating.
ISSN:0360-0025
1573-2762
DOI:10.1007/s11199-019-01045-9