Your Instagram feed may fuel body insecurity, develop muscle dysmorphia: Study

Social media is a different world where all sorts of discussions take place. Among the many topics, one issue that has gained momentum is how body image issues stemming from unrealistic beauty standards affect women.
The focus was on women struggling with the skewed beauty images on social media, which have been in discussion for way too long. But now a study from the University of South Australia, published in New Media & Society, has examined male body image issues as they too are affected by skewed portrayals of toned abs and biceps on TikTok and Instagram, reported Hindustan Times.
According to the study, the emphasis on muscular physiques in social media portrayals of men’s bodies triggers insecurity in men who consume this content. The study finds this leads to muscle dysmorphia, a mental health condition in which people obsessively believe their muscles are too small or weak, though they have a good physique.
Stressing on the harmful nature of social media, researchers noted that social media only portrays a particular body type and make believe people that it is the only ideal type and that other body shapes are unnatural, even when they are equally fit.
In a similar way, male bodies on social media feature excessively brawny figures with veiny arms, ripped biceps and six-pack abs.
This portrayal creates a fixation on a hyper-muscular physique. Study found out that men between the ages of 18 and 34 who frequently consume celebrity, fashion and fitness content report higher levels of dissatisfaction with their bodies.
Digging deep into the psychology of social media likes and comments on individual posts, the researchers found that men who are more concerned about the number of likes and comments show signs of muscle dysmorphia. They also found that this acts as a form of validation and can sometimes even be addictive, and push men to become even more muscular.
Dr John Mingoia, a lecturer at the University of South Australia and study co-author, said, as HT quoted, “When these posts attract a high volume of likes and positive comments, they reinforce the message that this is the body standard that men should strive for. Over time, this can lead to harmful behaviors such as excessive exercising, restricted eating, and even steroid use.”
The researchers also suggested to limit the consumption of content which features unrealistic body portrayals to prevent muscle dysmorphia.