Navigating Food and Body Marketing on Social Media

Key Takeaways

1. Influence of Social Media: Social media significantly impacts our perceptions of food and body image, promoting unrealistic beauty standards and influencing our dietary choices.

2. Creating a Protective Lens: Developing a protective lens is crucial for critically assessing social media messages, enabling us to rationally interpret and discard harmful content.

3. Steps to Foster Healthy Attitudes: By becoming aware, thinking critically, reflecting on personal reactions, setting boundaries, educating ourselves, and building support systems, we can cultivate healthier attitudes towards food and body image.

Take a Moment

Imagine scrolling through your favourite app and seeing someone with the body you've always wanted. They look amazing, smiling, and full of energy. They're promoting a product they claim helped them achieve those results, and there's a link for you to buy it instantly.

Do you click on the link right away, excited for the product to arrive? Do you feel a pang of frustration because you can't seem to reach that same goal? Do you start pushing yourself to exercise more, diet harder, and take the product?

Or do you pause and think about the message you're being sold? Is buying this product really going to make you as lean, beautiful, and happy as that person? Does it truly add up? Do you actually need it?

In today's digital age, social media has a profound impact on our perceptions of food and body image. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook constantly bombard us with images and messages that shape how we view ourselves and our eating habits. These platforms often promote unrealistic beauty standards, idealised body types, and are rife with nutritional fear mongering— influencing our self-esteem and dietary choices.

The way we interpret and internalise these messages can have a profound impact on both our emotional and physical wellbeing if left unchecked. Developing a filter to view these platforms and other forms of media with is an important skill, allowing you to more rationally interpret and selectively discard messages which do not serve you well.

By taking a moment to reflect, you can see through the hype and make a more informed decision about what's best for you.

The Power of Social Media on Our Dietary Behaviours and Body Dissatisfaction

Social media significantly shapes our thoughts and behaviours about food and body image. These platforms often showcase idealised lifestyles and body types, promoting a narrow definition of beauty and health. This constant exposure can lead to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy behaviours.

Social media is filled with images of people with seemingly perfect bodies, often heavily edited and filtered, creating unattainable beauty standards. This can cause body dissatisfaction and negative self-esteem, particularly among young people. Influencers and celebrities frequently promote diet trends and fads like detox teas, keto diets, or intermittent fasting.

These trends can quickly spread, leading followers to adopt these diets without understanding the potential health risks. Additionally, food companies use social media to market their products, targeting young audiences with influencer endorsements, visually appealing advertisements, and engaging content to promote unhealthy food products like sugary snacks and fast food. The messages received about what to eat are a pendulum swinging from one extreme to the other.

Research highlights the impact of these influences. A study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that young adults who spend more time on social media report higher levels of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviours.

The American Academy of Paediatrics reported that exposure to food advertising on social media is associated with unhealthy eating behaviours in children and adolescents. Furthermore, a survey by the Journal of Medical Internet Research revealed that 45% of participants were influenced by social media to change their diet, with 88% following diet recommendations from influencers without verifying the credibility of the information.

 a survey by the Journal of Medical Internet Research revealed that 45% of participants were influenced by social media to change their diet, with 88% following diet recommendations from influencers without verifying the credibility of the information.

These findings bring to light the powerful influence social media and food marketing have on our perceptions and behaviours, highlighting the need for a protective lens to critically assess these messages and promote healthier, more realistic attitudes towards food and body image.

Steps to Create Your Protective Lens

1. Awareness

- The key to changing any thing recognising the ways in which you're being marketed to.

- Identify common themes and messages that can be harmful for you or those that you frequently internalise.

2. Critical Thinking

- Question the source and intention behind the messages.

- Evaluate the credibility of the information and the motives of the marketers.

3. Self-Reflection

- Assess your own reactions and feelings towards these messages.

- Understand your personal triggers and vulnerabilities.

4. Setting Boundaries

- Limit exposure to harmful content by curating your social media feed.

- Follow accounts that promote positive and realistic body images and healthy relationships with food.

5. Education

- Equip yourself with knowledge about nutrition, health, and media literacy.

- Learn about the tactics used in food marketing to better recognise them.

6. Support Systems

- Engage with supportive communities and individuals who share similar values.

- Seek professional help if needed, such as a nutritionist (hey!) or therapist.

Practical Tips for Daily Life

Mindfulness Exercises: Practice mindfulness to stay present and reduce anxiety triggered by social media content.

Journaling Prompts: Reflect on your feelings and thoughts about body image and food. This can help you identify patterns and triggers.

I have a free Body Image Journal for you HERE

Useful Apps: Use apps that promote mental well-being, such as meditation or gratitude apps, to foster a positive mindset. Investigate some apps like Opal which set timers around social media access.

Conclusion

Creating a protective lens to navigate social media and food marketing is essential for maintaining a healthy and realistic view of food and body image. By becoming aware of harmful messages, thinking critically, reflecting on personal reactions, setting boundaries, educating yourself, and building support systems, you can foster a healthier relationship with social media and food marketing

Hey!

If this is a topic you're struggling with, I am here to help.

Submit an Application of Coaching to start your journey in food education and freedom.

Ruby x

References

Council on Communications and Media, 2011. Children, adolescents, obesity, and the media. *Pediatrics*, 128(1), pp.201-208.

Klassen, K.M., Borleis, E.S., Brennan, L., Reid, M., McCaffrey, T.A. and Lim, M.S.C., 2018. What people “like”: Analysis of social media strategies used by food industry brands, lifestyle brands, and health promotion organizations on Facebook and Instagram. *Journal of Medical Internet Research*, 20(6), e10227.

Sidani, J.E., Shensa, A., Hoffman, B., Hanmer, J. and Primack, B.A., 2016. The association between social media use and eating concerns among US young adults. *International Journal of Eating Disorders*, 49(7), pp.633-639.