Those who interact with the Instagram fitness community have seen this picture a hundred times: It’s a gorgeous woman with perfectly waved hair in Gymshark leggings flexing her tan, toned abs in a sports bra with a clever and motivational caption.
Obviously, this isn’t inherently a negative scenario. Any person who moves their body to better their health and has the confidence to post that on the Internet should be celebrated. However, only seeing a single body type can quickly become negative for a follower who may be looking to improve their physical and mental fitness journey.
A study published in 2018 found that of female participants who interacted with content from online fitness influencers, “17.7% of participants were classified as high risk for an eating disorder, 17.4% reported very high levels of psychological distress, and 10.3% were at risk of addictive exercise behaviors.” In addition, another study found that most fitness posts of women are depicted as “thin and toned,” and they are more likely to have their entire body visible with “buttocks emphasized.”
It makes sense as to why many women may suffer mentally from fitness posts that don’t represent their body type. So how do we fix this? Diversifying your Instagram feed, in my opinion, is the key to finding confidence in yourself both physically and mentally. Choosing who to follow is something we all have control of, so it is essential to choose to follow people that bring confidence and comfort in your health journey. Taking that initiative to unfollow what’s trendy and popular and following someone who represents who you are is the first step towards developing and sustaining a healthy lifestyle.
Not sure where to start? Here are a few suggestions for athletes/fitness influencers to follow & what they advocate for:
Whitney Simmons (@whitneyysimmons) – Psoriasis/Mental Health Advocate & Athlete
Meg Gallagher (@megsquats) – Postpartum Mother & Powerlifting for Women
Jessie Diaz-Herrera (@curveswithmoves) – Plus-Size Fitness & Body Liberation
Jonelle Lewis (@jonelleyoga) – Racial Equality Advocate & Spiritual Approach to Fitness
Emar Diruggiero (@emar.diruggiero) – LGBTQI+ Community & Personal Trainer