What That Fitness Selfie Says About You
Scroll down your social media feed and what do you see?
The odds are high that scattered among your timeline are well-lit ab shots of dudes at the gym or photos of them with their biceps flexed. Pics of women turned to the side in front of a mirror to showcase their glute pump. Vids of people performing various exercises and too long to read captions about how they’re killing it in some way or another. Stats from activity trackers or cardio equipment about the number of steps taken, calories burned, or distance covered. Particulars about the type of workout or approach to nutrition that an individual practices. That’s what you’re likely to stumble upon on your favorite social media site.
Fuck, the fitness-related content that’s about oneself might even be posted by you!
Well, did you know that behavior makes you a dick?
BECAUSE YOU ARE!!!
In news that surprises no one with a brain who enjoys putting it to actual use, researchers at Brunel University have confirmed what everybody has known but douche-bags like yourself have long denied.1Brunel University is located in jolly old London town, an enchanted land far across the pond where people speak English real funny like.
What’s that?
What have these smarty-pants discovered?!
Why, that posting status updates about your kale salad and endless reminders of what your body looks like are a sign of psychological problems. They’re as narcissistic as it gets, buddy!
Researchers — proving once again how vital they are to solving life’s mysteries — say that our healthy living friends, estranged family members, ex-lovers we cyberstalk, and complete strangers we follow for lord knows what reason are NOT mugging for the camera in workout gear or writing walls of text about how keto is doing wonders for them out of the kindness of their heart to motivate others to live a healthy or more active lifestyle like they would have it believed.
Nope!
People like you who bore everyone with details about their diet and workout and snap pics and record videos of themselves exercising or displaying what exercise has done for their body are doing so for ego-driven purposes, as the Brunel University study found that the sharing of that content is largely driven by the need for attention and validation around one’s physical appearance and attractiveness.2The study had other interesting findings, too. Namely, that people who post about intellectual topics are perceived as being more open; extroverts are more likely than introverts to make status updates about social activities they’re engaging in; and people in relationships who frequently post about their relationship being amazing are more than likely insecure in it and putting on a façade on social media to compensate or convince themselves that things are as amazing as they claim.
Yup, rather than inspiration, the posting of fitness selfies and the like is about self-obsession.3Or, to use clinical terms, it’s about attention whoring!
No shit, science!!!
Providing an ego-boost is what the above described fitness content does to the people who post it. But what’s it doing to the people who it’s supposedly posted for?
Well, good thing you asked because there’s an answer to that!
In a separate study, researchers at Texas State University and the University of Arizona found that while some people are motivated by photo or text only posts about the fitness pursuits of those they follow, most individuals experience low self-esteem and are more concerned about their weight the more exercise-related posts they’re exposed to. Social comparison is what’s largely responsible for the negative impact, as it was discovered that the greater you perceive yourself as similar in age, build, or background to someone sharing fitspo, the more likely you are to use that similarity as a reference to judge against and then be dejected about why you don’t look like that person or have the same ability or discipline as them.4Even when you don’t realize it, you might internalize this type of content in question and it can affect your attitude about yourself.
Sharing a fitness selfie online every now and then isn’t a big deal. Neither is the sharing of any other kind of content about one’s pursuit toward a fitter body. The problem is when it’s done frequently, with that behavior strongly suggesting that the person engaging in it is motivated by narcissistic reasons contrary to the altruistic intentions that are often claimed for their actions. That in of itself wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the regular posting of personal fitness exploits only affected the person doing the posting or if the media had an overwhelming positive effect on the majority of people who consumed it. That’s not the case, though. Instead, the person doing the sharing often gets a self-esteem kick while that of others takes a nosedive.
So what can you do about it?
The solution is rather easy.
Most of what appears on your social media feed is determined by you depending on who you follow and who or what the algorithm thinks you might have an interest in based on your interaction. As such, it’s up to you to curate your feed by unfollowing or muting the accounts of those who post things that make you overly conscious about your body, in addition to not feeding their posts with likes and comments to train the algorithm not to suggest similar content to you under the impression that’s the type of stuff that you really like.
And if you’re the person who’s doing the sharing?
Ha, keep uploading those images of you posing or engaging in the action of working out or some other physical activity. Write those messages outlining what foods you’re eating, supplements you’re taking, and exercises you’re doing.
That’s right, carry on!
While the research points to that behavior as self-promotional and performative for views and likes, the flooding of people’s timelines with the constant broadcast of the effort you put into your physical appearance isn’t about feeding your ego.
Nope, not you!
You’re one of those people who every time a study comes out, the findings never apply to them, just everyone else. So go ahead, do your thing.
Be the exception, baby!
Glossary: abs, biceps, calories, cardio, diet, discipline, exercise, fitness, glutes, gym, motivation, nutrition, supplement, work out, workout