Body Conscious: Promoting a Thin and Ultra-Athletic Physique has Unforseen Consequences

Question 1

Fitspiration/Fitspo

Answer 1

Online photographs intended to inspire people to workout harder; supposed to do the very thing that public health experts are constantly advocated for Americans.
But some researchers are finding that fitspiration may actually have more negative than positive effects

Question 2

Thinspiration

Answer 2

A type of online photos where women revela their extremely skinny bodies and endorse anorexia as a lifestyle choice.

Question 3

Why is thinspiration damaging?

Answer 3

The internalization of the thin-athletic body ideal is particularly worrisome because you have people trying to become thin through lack of nutrition and then exercising while not properly nourished. It also leads to an increase in body dissatifaction, which leads to a lot of negative things (ie eating disorders, low self-esteem)

Question 4

Why is fitspiration ineffective?

Answer 4

It publishes a very exclusive message that working out will definitely produce desirable results, when many people will never achieve their body standard no matter how hard they try. Additionally, fitspiration is seen as a “push through the agony” type of fitness that many people would actually be horrified by and thus, be less inclined to undergo such drastic changes.