A Qualitative Study Exploring Female College Students' Instagram Use and Body Image

Abstract

Research demonstrates that mainstream media negatively impacts women's body image; less is known about social media, specifically Instagram. The purpose of the study was to explore how female college students use Instagram, and if using Instagram impacts body image. Since little is known, a descriptive qualitative approach was used. Six face-to-face focus groups with a total of 27 participants, aged 18–22 years, were conducted. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Three themes related to Instagram use emerged: effortful posting, promotion of self, and seeking engagement. Participants put substantial effort into what they were posting, were careful to select the best images of themselves, and placed a lot of importance on receiving likes and comments. Three themes surfaced pertaining to body image: responding to beauty ideals, comparing self with others, and display of self. Participants recognized and strove to adhere to a variety of beauty standards; some discussed experiencing appearance dissatisfaction when trying to measure up to these ideals. Moreover, participants frequently compared their looks or the number of likes/comments with others. Additionally, when posting photos of self, participants took an audience perspective, expressing concern with how others perceived their appearance.

Introduction

Over 90 percent of college women in the United States report body dissatisfaction.¹ Body dissatisfaction, a negative attitude toward body size and shape,² is a risk factor for eating disorders and predicts low self-esteem, depression, and obesity.^3–5 Mainstream media has been shown to negatively impact body image, lowering body satisfaction and triggering eating disorder symptoms in young women.⁶ Less is known about the effects of social media, such as Instagram.

Instagram exposes users to beauty ideals similar to those in mainstream media but is distinct as users are encouraged to post their own images and gain feedback through “liking” and “commenting.” Receiving feedback puts pressure on users to conform to beauty ideals and self-objectify (i.e., evaluate oneself as an object based on appearance).⁷ Exposure to idealized images on Instagram is likely to lead to social comparison behaviors, the tendency to measure oneself against others.⁸ Research indicates internalization of the thin-ideal, self-objectification, and comparison behaviors predicting lower body satisfaction.^5,9

Research on social media and body image has largely been correlational. For example, Facebook users report more negative body image than nonusers,^10,11 and more time spent on Facebook and MySpace is related to body dissatisfaction compared with other types of Internet.^12,13 Making social comparisons on Facebook also results in body dissatisfaction.¹⁴

Only a handful of studies have examined Instagram. One study found that Instagram users report more body image concerns than Facebook users, especially when following appearance-based accounts (e.g., celebrities and models) as opposed to nonappearance accounts (e.g., travel).¹⁵ Instagram use is a positive predictor of body dissatisfaction¹⁶ and is associated with self-objectification, beauty standard internalizations, and appearance comparisons.¹⁷

Instagram photo-based activities predict body dissatisfaction.¹⁸ One experimental study found female participants exposed to “fitspiration” images on Instagram, compared with neutral images, reported more body dissatisfaction.¹⁹ Personality differences (e.g., narcissism) may account for behaviors on Instagram,²⁰ and online behaviors may be influenced by different motives for use.^21,22

The current aim was to gain understanding of young women's experiences using Instagram. Because the study was exploratory, research questions guided the study: (Question 1) How do female college students use Instagram, and what features and/or functions (e.g., posting, liking, and commenting) are most important when using Instagram? (Question 2) Does Instagram use impact female college students' body image and in what ways?

Methods

Once the institutional review board granted approval, women with an Instagram account were recruited on campus (e.g., in-class announcements, online announcements, and posting flyers). The rationale for this is women use social media more^23,24 and are more at risk for developing body images concerns than men.²⁵

Participants

Twenty-seven female undergraduate students were recruited from the New England University, aged 18–22 years (M = 20.00, SD = 1.2). Sixty-three percent (n = 17) were white, whereas 37 percent were ethnically diverse (n = 4 black or African American, n = 3 Asian, and n = 3 Hispanic or Latino). Participants came from upper-middle class backgrounds, with family incomes ranging between $76,900 and $105,999. Participants had Instagram for an average of 6 years, spent 1 to 2 hours daily on Instagram, and checked it every half hour to every few hours.

Data collection

Focus groups were used given little research has been conducted²⁶ and have proven effective for past research on social media.^27–29 Six audio-recorded groups were conducted (see Table 1 for composition of each group) in a private and comfortable setting. A moderator guided the discussion while an assistant took notes on observations including body language. A second assistant distributed papers (e.g., consent form and demographic sheet) and ensured the audio equipment recorded. Before data collection, all assistants were oriented to interview procedures.

Table 1.

Focus Groups

Date	Starting time	Duration of group (minutes)	No. of participants	Place
February 21, 2018	10:00 a.m.	49	4	Researcher's Lab
February 22, 2018	11:00 a.m.	64	6	Researcher's Lab
February 22, 2018	3:00 p.m.	46	2	Researcher's Lab
February 26, 2018	11:00 a.m.	53	6	Researcher's Lab
February 28, 2018	11:00 a.m.	58	6	Researcher's Lab
March 1, 2018	11:00 a.m.	45	3	Researcher's Lab

All groups were moderated by a doctoral student in psychology and assisted by undergraduate psychology students.

The moderator used semi-structured interviews to help guide groups (Appendix A1). After discussions ended, participants completed a demographic form and received a $10 Amazon gift card.

Statistical analysis

Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and checked for accuracy. Participants' names were changed to protect their identity.

An inductive thematic analysis was used, beginning with rereading the transcripts to obtain a sense of the whole and generate initial codes, related to the research, without a preexisting coding frame.³⁰ Codes were sorted and organized into themes. Themes are recurring patterns that occur across all transcripts and organized around central concepts.³¹

The first author and six assistants coded documents several times to ensure consistency. Interrater reliability was established among coders using Cohen's kappa, with an average score at or above 0.85. Trustworthiness was established by creating audit trails, memo-ing, debriefing, reverifying interpretations, and discussing findings with colleagues.^32,33

Results

Research question 1: uses and features

Three themes related to research question 1 emerged: effortful posting, promotion of self, and seeking engagement (see Table 2 for examples of participants' comments).

Table 2.

Research Question 1: Uses and Features

Themes	Examples
Effortful posting	“If I take a whole little photoshoot outside and not a single picture looks good I get so mad … then I'm like new angle, new set-up, it's so much, because you just want a good picture.”
	“I'll text my friends separately and be like which one do you like out of these five?”
	“It's all about aesthetics. I like all my pictures to match. I have the same filter on all of them and pleasing backgrounds.”
Promotion of self	“If it's me and another person I usually ignore what the other person looks like. I look good and they look bad, I'm posting it anyway because it's my Instagram.”
	“For me I try to post pictures I look nice in or that are funny in a positive way … not ‘oh my god look at that chick, what a mess!’ Just funny. You want to put your best self or your perceived perception of yourself on Instagram.”
	“You can choose what you post and you can control people's perception of you online, so I don't know, when I'm feeling pretty down sometimes I'll post a selfie, or a lot of selfies. When you get likes it feels good, accomplished.”
Seeking engagement	“If I don't get like enough likes in like the first minute or two minutes, I delete it.”
	“Oh yeah, you want all the likes, so you post the one that you think is going to get the most.”
	“I'm also concerned about what will get the most likes. I even have an app that tells me what time I have to post to get the most interactions.”

Effortful posting

Participants reported putting significant time and effort into selecting photos of themselves to post. Several felt the need to edit/filter their photos before posting. Participants sought their friends' advice to get help selecting the best photo. Others mentioned selecting photos that belonged with the aesthetic color scheme of their Instagram page.

Promotion of self

Participants reported needing to present their best self by selecting the most flattering photos. The photo was selected based on how they looked versus how others looked.

Seeking engagement

Participants expressed how they wanted others to interact with their content, guiding their Instagram use. Participants posted at certain times to gain a desirable number of likes and selected photos they believed would receive the most likes. Participants noted feeling good when receiving a lot of likes, and some mentioned deleting photos or reposting later if they did not receive a desirable number of likes.

Research question 2: body image

Three themes surfaced pertaining to research question 2: responding to beauty ideals, comparing self with others, and display of self, as well as one subtheme: influencing appearance (see Table 3 for examples of participants' comments).

Table 3.

Research Question 2: Instagram and Body Image

Themes	Examples
Responding to beauty ideals	“My friend from [state] … we both followed the girl that I mentioned that's just so pretty, she will screenshot her pictures and try to mimic them.”
	“I think fitness pages motivate me. I want to look like this girl so bad that I am like I need to do these workouts like her.”
	“Sometimes I'd say I try to work the angles. Sometimes, but sometimes, I try and look kind of skinnier … I'd say I do this because of celebrities trying to work the angles, so that's probably what I do.”
Comparing self with others	“When I first came to college, I was like wow that girl gets 200 likes on her photos like wow I want that many likes and now I get 300–400 likes a photo but now they're girls who get like 700 likes per photo.”
	“Even when you see the girls that are curvaceous not the stick thin girls, I notice their belly buttons usually still look toned or they're like smooth and the cellulite is smooth … So, I feel like I definitely have seen that and been like my belly button is not like that and I don't like it.”
	“I feel like this has been a problem that's been around forever, before social media took off it was the magazines, you know overly photo shopped celebrities and stuff like that. But I can see how it's more harmful because it's not celebrities doing it anymore, it's people who you perceive as everyday people and it's like oh s^*** I thought it was only celebrities that looked like that, but I think it's everybody that looks like that so I'm the ugly one basically.”
Display of self	“I like a little contrast. I like color. I think in the winter especially I'm very pale so a little tan will excite viewers I guess, I don't know.”
	“Even if you're ugly in real life, if you're cute on Instagram, I feel like it doesn't matter.”
	“It was my birthday last week so I was like, okay I gotta post a good selfie and I know people are going to think this is a good picture of me, so I'll post it.”

Responding to beauty ideals

Participants described an array of beauty ideals witnessed online and wanted to measure up to these standards. Standards included wearing a lot of makeup and/or using quality makeup, being stick thin or skinny, having an hourglass-shaped body, as well as a fitness ideal (curvy, toned, and muscular). Participants mentioned that having so many standards did not make it easier as most images seemed unrealistic or heavily edited, even those promoting body positivity.

Participants looked at others' images and wished they could look like them. Some mentioned using photos of others as motivational tools to exercise, editing their photographs to create the “perfect” image, and posing a certain way to conform to beauty standards. Participants idealized individuals who received a lot of likes and wished they could be like them; they screenshotted and mimicked highly liked photos to receive likes.

Comparing self with others

Participants frequently compared themselves with others on Instagram, basing these evaluations on a variety of Instagram-related features (e.g., images, likes, and comments). Participants compared themselves with others' Instagram accounts, such as fitness models, girls on “barstool smoke show,” and celebrities. About half mentioned comparing their amount of likes and comments with others, and some compared the number of followers they had with others.

Influencing appearance

Participants described feeling poorly about their appearance and negatively evaluating their bodies when using Instagram. They discussed wanting to change aspects of their appearance or body after using Instagram and to alter their appearance using filters/editing applications before posting images. Some participants mentioned feeling ugly when not receiving enough likes; they also expressed feeling confident or satisfied with their body when receiving a lot of likes.

Display of self

Participants considered others' evaluations more than their own when posting photos of their bodies. Heightened concern about how others would respond was emphasized. Some explained Instagram was used to show themselves off; looking good on Instagram was more important than what they looked like in real life. Some discussed editing photos to excite their viewers.

Discussion

Young women reported spending large quantities of time on Instagram viewing and following others (e.g., peers, celebrities, and models), allowing for continuous exposure to unrealistic and edited images. They also posted their own photos, often to showcase their best selves. They placed a great amount of value on receiving feedback from followers.

These findings provide insight into how photo-related activities might impact participants' views of themselves. Several participants noted idealized images were likely to have been altered (e.g., edited or filtered) and were aware of the harmful influence this could have; however, they still felt pressure to adjust to these standards.

Consistent with prior research,¹⁷ participants reported a variety of beauty ideals from Instagram, not just the thin-ideal, but all difficult for most women to attain. For example, they described admiring thin women, fitness models, and women who were plus-sized or more curvaceous. Interestingly, participants did not find “body positivity” to be helpful, as many of the photos seemed unrealistic, edited, and unrelatable.

Results suggest that women who engage in appearance-related comparisons on Instagram might be vulnerable to feeling dissatisfied with their appearance, body size, and shape. These findings are consistent with research suggesting that Instagram users who followed appearance-based accounts (e.g., celebrities and models) report more body image concerns.¹⁵ When discussing comparisons, several participants desired to look like “them,” but knew it was not possible, creating discrepancies between their ideal self and actual self. Participants also expressed feeling inadequate when comparing themselves (and feedback they received) with that of friends and peers. Pressure to conform to beauty ideals may be even stronger when from peers rather than celebrities, as peers represent ostensibly more attainable ideals.

Instagram was also found to encourage an increased focus on appearance. In an effort to gain validation, participants were concerned with monitoring their image on Instagram to gain approval/feedback from others. They did this in a variety of ways, including editing before posting, posting their best photos, or taking down photos with insufficient likes.

It is important to note that Instagram was not always associated with body dissatisfaction. Participants felt validated when they received high numbers of likes. This is consistent with previous research,^22,34 showing that the number of likes is associated with popularity and attractiveness.

Limitations include small sample size and inability to draw causal inferences. Future work should use longitudinal and experimental designs, examine the unique effects of different beauty ideals in diverse populations, and account for mental health factors. As research continues, clinicians and educators should consider how Instagram influences clients' and students' evaluations of their bodies and consider providing psychoeducation. It may be useful to implement social media literacy, as these interventions may prevent detrimental effects.^35,36Additionally, promoting self-compassion and self-acceptance regarding body image may be effective.²⁷ Ultimately, as social media use increases, so should our understanding of its negative effects and how to mitigate them, especially because children are growing up with it at their fingertips.

Footnotes

Author Disclosure Statement

No competing financial interests exist.

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