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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

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

  • Siyi Song1
  • Jinfeng Du2
  • Huangkun Wei3
  • Muhamad Shamsul Ibrahim4
  • Hamedi Mohd Adnan
4 affiliations
  1. 1Jiangxi University of Software Professional Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
  2. 2Department of Media and Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  3. 3School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  4. 4Jiangxi Institute of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
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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.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{song2026rethinking,
  title = {{Rethinking fitspiration in social media: Experimental insights from young Chinese women}},
  author = {Siyi Song and Jinfeng Du and Huangkun Wei and Muhamad Shamsul Ibrahim and Hamedi Mohd Adnan},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357611},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357611},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Rethinking fitspiration in social media: Experimental insights from young Chinese women
AU  - Siyi Song
AU  - Jinfeng Du
AU  - Huangkun Wei
AU  - Muhamad Shamsul Ibrahim
AU  - Hamedi Mohd Adnan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/03
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357611
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357611
AB  - 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.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -