Fitness influencers in Chinese social media
Role models for youth or unattainable ideals
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9405492 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Liu Xianan (Changzhi Medical College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 260 |
| Pages | 105743-105743 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Acta Psychologica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-6918 • E-ISSN: 1873-6297 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105743 |
| PMID | 41086746 |
| OpenAlex | W4415111626 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 42 |
The impact of fitness content consumed through social media has become a global concern in the context of body image formation. This article aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of how fitness influencers on Chinese social media platforms-WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, and Douyin-affect users' body image perception, self-esteem, and motivation for physical activity. The study involved 2418 participants aged 18 to 25, all of whom were students at four universities in Beijing. Among women, higher sensitivity to appearance-related pressure and stronger internalization of the thin ideal were observed, reflecting this group's vulnerability to slenderness ideals often reinforced by social media. In contrast, men were more prone to the internalization of muscularity, highlighting gender-specific body ideals. At the same time, users who actively engaged with fitness-related content demonstrated higher levels of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Regression analysis further confirmed that gender, frequency of exposure, social comparison, and body mass index (BMI) significantly influenced the formation of self-esteem. Qualitative analysis of interview data revealed that fitness influencers are perceived ambivalently, as both sources of inspiration and promoters of unattainable body ideals
Child Development and Digital Technology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Media Influence and Health
Theories in social psychology
The ECPH Encyclopedia of Psychology
The Body Appreciation Scale-2
Toward “Cultural Indicators”
Be positive? The interplay of Instagram influencers’ body type and favorable user comments on young women’s perceptions, affective well-being, and exercise intentions
Following up on #fitspiration
One fit(spiration) for all? Gender differences in body satisfaction
Self-compassion and women's experience of social media content portraying body positivity and appearance ideals
Tendencies and characteristics of public fitness behavior in the digital era
The Psychological Consequences of Envying Influencers on Instagram
Exploring the Sociological Impact of Wechat
What it means to be a bodybuilder
Understanding Fitness Trends in the Virtual Age
A Picture is Worth a Thousand “Likes”
Happier and Healthier? Investigating the Longitudinal Impact of Body-Positive and Fitspirational Influencers on Weight Satisfaction, Healthy Eating, and Physical Activity
An Exploratory Content Analysis of the Use of Health Communication Strategies and Presence of Objectification in Fitness Influencer Social Media Posts
Understanding daily problematic social media use of young adults
Between being affected and being an active emotion ‘manager’
Visual attention paid to negative comments in cause-related posts
Validation of sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire and its associations with body-related outcomes and eating disorders among Chinese adolescents
Postfeminist biopedagogies of Instagram
A Theory of Social Comparison Processes
From attention to affect
Influencers as role models
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |