What is it about?
Before and after weight loss “transformation” photos are popular on social media platforms such as Instagram. This study wanted to investigate how viewing before and after weight loss images online affects young women. Four hundred four women aged 18-30 were divided into three groups. Each group looked at different images to see how they changed their feelings about their bodies, mood, and inspiration to exercise and eat healthier. One group saw before and after weight loss pictures, the second group saw those same pictures but separated (they didn't know they were before and after weight loss images), and the third group saw travel images. After viewing images, the before and after group experienced a rise in negative feelings and became more preoccupied with their appearance. However, the group that saw the same pictures individually (without the weight loss focus) felt better about their bodies and also became more preoccupied with their appearance. The study found that viewing the transformation images didn’t increase motivation to exercise or eat healthily and made women feel worse about themselves in the short term. The tendency to compare appearances played a role in how people felt about themselves after seeing these images.
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Why is it important?
The study's findings are important for a few key reasons. Before and after weight loss images are pervasive in online fitness spaces. At the time of writing, this is the first published experimental study to investigate the effects of viewing before and after weight loss images. The findings reveal that even brief exposure to before and after weight loss images can negatively affect young women. The results challenge the idea that before and after weight loss images serve as effective motivators for healthy lifestyle changes. Contrary to this belief, this research suggests that these images don't inspire positive actions like improving fitness or eating healthily. This challenges the common narrative perpetuated by such images in the media and online platforms. The study also highlights how comparing appearances plays a significant role in how these images affect people. This comparison seems to influence how individuals feel about their own bodies after seeing these pictures. This aspect is crucial in understanding the mechanisms behind body dissatisfaction and self-objectification, which are significant issues affecting mental health and well-being. Another noteworthy finding is how the women who saw the images individually without knowing they were before and after pictures ended up feeling better about their bodies. However, they also became more focused on their appearance. This highlights the mixed impact of viewing fitspiration content, as seen in other studies. Essentially, viewing diverse bodies without weight loss messaging may lead to us feeling better about our bodies but might still increase our preoccupation with appearance. Overall, these findings underline the potential harm caused by exposure to before and after weight loss images online and emphasize the importance of promoting healthier and more positive messaging regarding body image, weight and health. This understanding can guide efforts in media literacy, content creation, and mental health interventions to better support individuals in developing a healthier relationship with their bodies and self-image.
Perspectives
As the study’s results demonstrate, there were no positive effects from viewing before and after weight loss images. For the young women who viewed them, looking at before and afters increased negative feelings and appearance preoccupation and did not increase motivation to improve fitness or eat healthy foods. I hope these findings can contribute to a broader conversation about how before and after images showcasing weight loss journeys have the potential to be problematic and harmful. Such images often conflate weight with health and promote the message that losing weight is synonymous with becoming healthier and is a marker of success. However, research shows that health is a multi-faceted and complex concept which cannot be determined solely by someone's weight or size. In a culture that often prioritizes thinness over well-being, the focus on weight loss can overshadow other essential aspects of health, such as mental well-being and overall lifestyle habits. These weight-centric health narratives reinforce harmful stereotypes and prejudices against people in larger bodies and perpetuate fatphobia. Thank you for reading!
Ellen Flynn
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Viewing before and after weight loss transformation images online: The impact on young women’s mood, body satisfaction, self-objectification, and the role of appearance comparison., Psychology of Popular Media, November 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000502.
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