Presenting perfection on Instagram is negatively associated with body dissatisfaction in young women. However, it is unclear whether this is the case for young men. I conducted a cross-sectional, survey-based study, recruiting a non-clinical sample of men (N = 262), to examine relationships between perfectionistic self-presentation on Instagram and body dissatisfaction. Findings revealed that perfectionistic self-presentation on Instagram was positively associated with body dissatisfaction (drive for muscularity and height). Overall, these findings offer initial support for examining perfectionistic self-presentation on Instagram and its utility in understanding male body dissatisfaction.
Keywords: male body image, male body dissatisfaction, body image, perfectionistic self-presentation, Instagram
Rhea Milson (DCounPsych, York St John University) is a Counselling Psychologist and Lecturer in Counselling Psychology at York St John University. Her research interests include the prevention and treatment of body image and eating disorders, specifically examining predictors of body image and disordered eating outcomes in young women and men, focusing on online contexts (social media use, online sexual harassment) and personality factors (perfectionism).
Contact details: r.milson@yorksj.ac.uk