This study examines how young women are affected by the body ideals on Instagram. Eight women from a university in the south of Sweden are interviewed. The results are discussed in this qualitative study by using the social comparison theory, sociocultural theory, the gender system and postfeminism. Through the interviews about how the body ideals on Instagram work and are created, the study shows a nuanced picture of how young women are affected by the body ideals that are spread. The study shows that Instagram has a significant impact on the respondents, which leads to an increased pressure and stress in connection with striving for the body ideals. Their perceptions of the idealized body ideal are changing, and striving to achieve this ideal creates strains on their standards. By applying chosen theories of social comparison, gender systems, sociocultural factors and postfeminism, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how young women navigate and shape their self-images in a digital context. The findings underscore the importance of recognizing and addressing the challenges young women face in terms of body ideals and self-image formation on social media platforms such as Instagram.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-126739 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Nielsen, Agnes, Prabert, Maria |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för medier och journalistik (MJ) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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