The Pressure for the Perfect Shape. The Relation Between Adolescents’ Body Image Self-Discrepancy and Body Image Concerns When Exposed to Sponsored Fitfluencer Content

This research contributes to the ongoing discussion on the impact of influencer content exposure on individuals’ body perception. Two crucial aspects distinguish our study: firstly, our investigation centers on adolescents, a group actively shaping their beliefs and highly susceptible to body image messages. Secondly, we specifically examine sponsored influencers' posts designed to persuade, a factor often unclear to children and adolescents. Presenting the findings of a survey study conducted among 1,055 Spanish adolescents aged 11 to 17, we explore how body image concerns related to fitfluencers influence the connection between body image self-discrepancy, body satisfaction, and exercise intention. Our study reveals that girls, but not boys, with greater body image self-discrepancy, experience heightened body image concerns when exposed to sponsored fitspiration content posted by influencers, subsequently leading to decreased body satisfaction. Notably, these body image concerns also positively contribute to health-based exercise motivation. By focusing on adolescents and sponsored influencer content, our research provides valuable insights into the complexities of body image perceptions and motivations for exercise.