Rethinking fitspiration in social media: Experimental insights from young Chinese women

As social media platforms increasingly influence contemporary understandings of health and the body, fitspiration-a blend of "fitness" and "inspiration"-has become a widespread visual genre that promotes exercise, discipline, and culturally idealized physiques. Recent research has linked fitspiration content to negative body image among women, yet most studies focus on Western populations. Cultural differences in beauty ideals suggest that findings from Western contexts may not fully apply to Asian women. However, research on fitspiration in Asia, particularly China, remains limited. To address this gap, this study conducted an online experiment with 414 Chinese women aged 18-26, randomly assigned to view thinspiration, fitspiration, or neutral scenery images. Body appreciation and functionality appreciation were measured before and after exposure. Results showed that fitspiration images significantly reduced both body and functionality appreciation compared to neutral images. Thinspiration images produced even lower body and functionality appreciation than fitspiration. This study underscores the need to recognize and critically examine the potential risks of fitspiration content within the Chinese cultural context.