Flex Friday: A content analysis of men’s fitspiration on Instagram

Fitspiration is a social media trend that utilizes images and quotes to promote and inspire physical health and fitness. However, research has shown Fitspiration reinforces the rigidly defined appearance ideal, particularly in women, which can lead to negative body image. There remains limited under...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Body image 2024-03, Vol.48, p.101651-101651, Article 101651
Main Authors: Angrish, Kirina, Oshana, David, Gammage, Kimberley L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appearance ideal
Body Dissatisfaction
Body Image - psychology
Content analysis
Exercise
Female
Fitspiration
Health
Humans
Instagram
Lifestyle
Male
Physical Appearance, Body
Social Media
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Summary:Fitspiration is a social media trend that utilizes images and quotes to promote and inspire physical health and fitness. However, research has shown Fitspiration reinforces the rigidly defined appearance ideal, particularly in women, which can lead to negative body image. There remains limited understanding of the characteristics and impact of men’s Fitspiration. The purpose of this content analysis was to investigate the nature, presentation, and text-based messages of male-focused Fitspiration on Instagram. Hashtags (#) were used to collect 1,000 random images from Instagram. Content codes for images included body type, objectification, activities, and messages conveyed. Results showed most images consisted of men accentuating their highly muscular upper bodies with low body fat, consistent with the male appearance ideal. Also, men were often shown engaging in activities irrelevant to health or fitness (i.e., passive modeling) that emphasized their physical appearance. Consistent with research examining female-focused Fitspiration, male-focused Fitspiration reinforces a glamorized appearance ideal with low focus on health and fitness. •First study to explore the presentation of male-focused fitspiration on Instagram.•Most posts included men with a noticeable muscular upper body and little body fat.•The majority of the men did not objectify themselves.•Men posted content not related to fitness and exercise.•Male fitspiration on Instagram reinforces the male appearance ideal.
ISSN:1740-1445
1873-6807
DOI:10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.101651