{
  "abstract": "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.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Jiangxi University of Software Professional Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China",
    "Department of Media and Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia",
    "School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China",
    "Jiangxi Institute of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Siyi Song"
    },
    {
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        1
      ],
      "name": "Jinfeng Du"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Huangkun Wei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Muhamad Shamsul Ibrahim"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hamedi Mohd Adnan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9xfeh58sc8hrb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357611",
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  "id": "9xfeh58sc8hrb",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
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  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
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  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
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  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3203|Eating Disorders and Behaviors"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Physiological parameters/Body weight"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Sports science/Sports and exercise medicine/Exercise"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Network analysis/Social networks/Social media"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Epidemiology/Medical risk factors"
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      "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Physical activity/Physical fitness/Exercise"
    ],
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      "/Medicine and health sciences/Sports and exercise medicine/Exercise"
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      "/People and places/Geographical locations/Asia"
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      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/Asia/China"
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      "plos",
      "/People and places/Population groupings/Ethnicities/Asian people/Chinese people"
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      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Communications/Social communication/Social media"
    ],
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      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Culture"
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      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Social networks/Social media"
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  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357611&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-03",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9xfeh58sc8hrb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357611",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357611"
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  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:epidemiology",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:physiology",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Rethinking fitspiration in social media: Experimental insights from young Chinese women",
  "title_text": "Rethinking fitspiration in social media: Experimental insights from young Chinese women",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9xfeh58sc8hrb",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}