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Although many social media websites and fashion magazines have previously been criticized for negatively affecting women’s self image and confidence, there is a new source of motivation and healthy living for women from Instagram accounts around the world. Through hashtags and other ‘Explore’ options, Instagram accounts are ultimately changing awareness around women’s health. Some accounts offer quick, five-minute workouts that anyone can do in their living room, while other accounts provide nutritious, affordable recipes for young women.
One user, Kayla Itsines, a twenty-four-year old personal trainer from Australia, has her own Instagram account dedicated to self-confidence, exercising, and overall wellness. Itsines completed a personal training course at the Australian Institute of Health, and she now provides inspiration for over three million Instagram followers through workout posts, strengthening tips, and food guidelines and recipes. Her account, @Kayla_Itsines, highlights the importance of eating right with photos of healthy snacks; it also includes videos and photos so that followers learn how to carefully and correctly exercise their bodies, especially in terms of lifting and other strengthening exercises. Rhodes student, Ahmun Zafar, is passionate about Kayla’s workouts; she comments, “I like Kayla’s workouts because she stresses the importance of overall wellness rather than just looking a certain way, which is something I think is really novel in today’s body-image-obsessed society.”