‘Selfie’-objectification: The role of selfies in self-objectification and disordered eating in young women / Rachel Cohen, Toby Newton-John, Amy Slater

Bibliografía: p.23-28

Existing research demonstrates a relationship between social networking site (SNS)
use and body-related concerns and disordered eating amongst females. Preliminary
evidence indicates that SNS photo activities (e.g., taking and sharing ‘selfies’) may
play a particularly important role. The present study aimed to use selfobjectification as a framework to examine the relationship between SNS photo
activities and body-related and eating concerns in a population of young women.
Participants were 259 young women (age 18-29; M=22.97, SD=3.25) who
completed self-report questionnaires of SNS use and body-related and disordered
eating concerns. Results showed that SNS ‘selfie’ activities, rather than general
SNS usage, were associated with body-related and eating concerns. Specifically,
greater investment in ‘selfie’ activities was associated with increased body
dissatisfaction and bulimia symptomatology, even after accounting for known risk
factors such as thin-ideal internalisation and body mass index (BMI). Moreover,
self-objectification was found to moderate the relationship between photo
investment and bulimia symptomatology. These findings indicate that active
engagement with SNS photo activities, rather than general SNS use, shows an
association with body-related and eating concerns. Interventions targeting specific
SNS photo activities may be an effective avenue for the prevention and
management of body-related concerns and disordered eating in young women.