Senior Seminar Paper Final

Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA ON FEMALE BODY IMAGE
The Impact of Social Media on Female Body Image
Jasmine S. Ader
Spring Hill College

THE EFFECTS OF BODY IMAGE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Abstract
Researchers have found the distorted view of the ideal female body image in the media,
specifically social media, has an effect on women. The skewed view regarding the ideal female
body image on social media by American society has developed as a factor concerning eating
disorders and unnatural health issues. The researcher wanted to know how the use of an
integrated marketing campaign can influence Americans misleading view of the ideal beauty
and body image. The researcher explored this question through research along with a social
media public relations campaign and a public speakers presentation on body image. The
researcher will discuss body image in regards to social media, specifically how social media can
be used to uplift and influence users to encourage other women and why this problem needs to
be addressed. It is important that users and the media understanding positive ways to influence
and alter the skewed ideal female body image. Social media users and the media can do this by
showing all types of beauty in social networking will enrich societys perception about body
image. In result, the effects of societys misrepresentation of the female body image on social
media and ways the media and users can utilize social media such as Instagram to eliminate the
idea of a perfect body.
For many decades, American society has formed a distorted view of the ideal body for
females. Beresin and Derenne (2006) quoted Joel Yager, who is a professor at Colorado
University, saying Every society has a way of torturing its women, whether by binding their
feet or by sticking them into whalebone corsets. What contemporary American culture has come
up with is designer jeans. This construction that society has formed is still relevant today and
consumers conform to those ideals.

Rationale
Therefore, it is important that people address the problem relating to female body image,
women empowerment and female self-esteem. Many individuals have a negative view of their
body image and have poor self-esteem because of the standards society has formed for women.
The media practically encourages those principles, Social media has effectively made its way
into every classroom, dinner table, and workplace. Whether it is used by children, teenagers, or
adults, everyone seems to have a huge presence in the social media world (Huffington Post,
2017, p. 1). Not only does social media weave its way into peoples lives, it can also have a
negative effect. According to research, media is a causal risk factor for the development of
eating disorders and has a strong influence on a persons body dissatisfaction, eating patterns,
and poor self-concept. Individuals begin to constantly compare themselves to thin models, their
peers, as well as famous social media users and begin to feel inadequate about their own self-
image (Huffington Post, 2017, p. 1). Social media will not be changing anytime soon but as
individuals, people can change the way social media is presented.
Problem
The problem of having high standards for female beauty is not a new concern. This
problem has been going on for centuries, Throughout history, the standard of female beauty
often has been unrealistic and difficult to attain. Those with money and higher socioeconomic
status were far more likely to be able to conform to these standards. Women typically were
willing to sacrifice comfort and even endure pain to achieve them (Beresin & Derenne, 2006 p.
258). Americans distorted view of ideal beauty sheds light to the social problem of eating
disorders and false information from the media and other health issues such as depression. An
integrated communications campaign is needed to bring awareness to the negative effects social
media can have in relationship to body image in females.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of using social media and verbal
communication to encourage and uplift women in order to promote body image and self-esteem.
Theoretical Underpinning
The findings from this project will be evaluated through the lens of social marketing theory.
Research concerning body image has most often emphasized the ideal body image society has
created for women. Researchers who have studied in the area of integrated marketing campaigns
have most often explored social media and other forms of communication and understanding
how those forms of communication can appeal to consumers using frameworks similar to social
marketing theory.
Research Question
The researcher wants to know if the use of an integrated marketing campaign involving
Instagram and other forms of communication can be utilized to influence positive body image for
females. The question that the researcher will examine is: How can an integrated marketing
campaign influence Americans misplaced view of ideal beauty and body image?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Researchers have found that social media affects women negatively in regards to the
ideal female body image which has been negatively twisted within the Western culture.
Americans skewed view of the ideal body image interpreted by Americans gives life to the
social problem of a persons own perception of their body image. Previous work by scholars and
professionals studied and researched the relationship between body image and social media
technologies. Scholars and professionals also found and implemented ways social media can be
used to promote positivity, self-confidence and body image.
Body Image and Social Media
Researchers have found links between social media and negative results relating to body
image in females. The media and body image are closely related due to the number of images
we see in the media and the excessive amount of exposure we have to those images (Mirror
Mirror, 2017, p. 1). Social media enhances the ability for people to share memories, thoughts and
photos with just a click of a button. A technology which is growing and becoming a part of
American culture has also supported the skewed idea of what the female body should look like,
Internalization of body perfect ideals and body size stereotypes begin when girls in Western
societies are as young as 3 years-old (Perloff, 2014, p. 365). From billboards to magazines
along with social media sites, women are constantly brainwashed with the image of what the
ideal body looks like. The constant barrage of unrealistically skinny images can stir up feelings
of inadequacy, anxiety and depression. It can even lead to the development of eating disorders
like anorexia and bulimia (Mirror Mirror, 2017, p. 1).
With the rapid increase of social media use by young females, social media, specifically
Instagram, can impact females negatively: Instagram is the most detrimental social networking
app for young peoples mental health, followed closely by Snapchat, according to a new report
by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK (Fox, 2017, p. 1). Young females follow
celebrities, clothing companies and other businesses that use social media to market and
advertise. Most often the models do not reflect the average body image in Western society,
Although advertising aims to convince us to buy things, ads seldom portray people that look
like us. The average female fashion model wears a size two or four, for instance, while the
average American woman wears a size 12 to 14. Clothing designers often say they only use very
thin models because the clothes simply look better on them (Mirror Mirror, 2017, p. 1). Social
media is the vessel that carries the fabricated idea about what every female should look like,
These false body image ads, showing bodies that are not real at all or that are not very
realistic or representative of the general population, have far-reaching affects (Mirror Mirror,
2017, p. 1). Instagram and other social media sites provided a constant feed of images portraying
bodies that are unattainable for the majority of the female population, Instagram draws young
women to "compare themselves against unrealistic, largely curated, filtered and Photoshopped
versions of reality," said Matt Keracher, author of the report (Fox, 2017, p. 2). Studies have
concluded further problem for females who struggle with concepts of ideal body image, The
constant barrage of unrealistically skinny images can stir up feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and
depression. It can even lead to the development of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia
(Mirror Mirror, 2017, p. 1). Social media can affect women negatively relating to body image
but social media can also help women feel confident about their body.
In recent years, researchers have noticed that steps are being made to reduce the negative
notion of the ideal body image on social media. The impact of social media on young people
doesnt have to be negative. While acknowledging its downsides, Kandel believes social media
can also be positive and inspiring for young people. You can help your daughter harness that
perspective, too, by encouraging her to post inspirational quotes or uplifting messages, she
suggests. This may not only feel empowering for her, but it can also help inspire her friends
(Dove, 2016, p. 4). Johanna Kandel is the founder of The Alliance for Eating Disorders
Awareness. Kandel knows that social media has the ability to uplift women instead of demeaning
women. Other researchers also believe technologies such as Instagram allow a deeper level of
insight for promoting positive ideals concerning body image, Online technologies, with their
ability to provide easily-accessible video displays of campaign spokespersons and in vivo apps,
can enhance credibility assessments (Perloff, 2014, p. 373). Richard Perloff found that social
media is a great place to promote ideas to influence and encourage others, Social media
campaigns harnessing the interactive strengths of Facebook, Twitter, and other networking sites
have potential to influence beliefs and attitudes (Perloff, 2014, p. 372). Social media is a great
place to start informing women that the ideal body is to achieve and maintain, We are all born
with a certain body type. Whether the trend on social media is to draw attention to our small
waist, large rear end or long legs, the fact is that these are truly just trends. American beauty
standards are constantly changing and we cant demand our body to conform to the latest trend
when we begin to see countless photos of a certain physical aspects on social media (Dugan,
2016, p. 3).
TeriSue Smith-Jackson, Justine Reel and Rosemary Thackeray conducted a study relating
to body image at a university, The purpose of this study was to gain students perspective on
ideal positive body image promotion strategies for a university campus. Students perspectives
provide excellent data to health professionals aimed at planning positive body image programs
(Smith-Jackson, Reel, et al., 2014, p. 2). The researchers found that female students want more
resources about body image dissatisfaction and opportunities that will aide them to reduce issues
such as eating disorders and low self-esteem:

Body image and eating disorder prevention strategies at this particular university at the
time of the data collection included various workshops or lectures on issues related to
weight and body, a mentored support group for those struggling with food issues,
available individual counseling, participation in the National Eating Disorder Awareness
Week, and a website with information articles and other online and professional
resources. Freshmen women were introduced to these services during freshmen
orientation and the services were advertised throughout the year in the dormitory halls
(Smith-Jackson, Reel, et al, 2014, p. 3).
This study confirms that issues relating to body image are indeed happening on the campuses of
colleges and universities. Along with services to help and defeat these issues women are seeing
promotional campaigns that may also help to The broader discussion about accepting various
body images means that consumers want to come to terms with thin bodies as well as not-so-thin
ones. Passions are running high for a more honest depiction of women in ads and across media.
Still, that doesnt mean you have to shun models altogether (Garcia, 2017, p.5). The
communication field, specifically public relations and advertising, serves as a starting point to
promote diverse body image, When marketers are casting their campaigns, they should be
casting a wider net to truly reflect the wide world of consumers (Garcia, 2017, p. 3). Public
relations promotional campaigns such as the Dove Real Beauty campaign have influenced and
inspired women to change the way they think about their own bodies and to support and
empower other women. Promoting positive ideals of the female body image on social media is
emerging trend with a potentially successful impact among females.
An excellent example of media literacy education on self-image is the Dove Evolution
film, a 75-second montage depicting the transformation of an ordinary womans face into
one suitable for a magazine make-up advertisement. It reveals the number of people (e.g.,
make-up artists, hair stylists) involved to cover blemishes, even the skin tone, apply
copious make-up, and highlight and style the womans hair and that is mere
preparation for retouching her photographed image by lengthening her neck, etc.
(Andsager, 2014 p. 411).
Encouraging others to be true to themselves and love the body and person they are can have a
positive effect on not only the individual but others as well, Use social media as a platform for
self-empowerment. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family in your digital world
and do not be afraid to celebrate who you are (Huffington Post, 2017 p. 3). This is a simple way
that professionals in the field encourage users to implement to decrease body shaming and other
negative outcomes social media can have on an individual.
Eating Disorders and Health Issues
Social media is a great way for people and businesses to connect. With online
communication channels people can create communities, interact, share content, and collaborate
with their ideas and thoughts. In a society with rapid technology growth, social media has made
communication and connection easier but it can also have a negative effect on females. Although
it is not the single reason, eating disorders and unwholesome health issues result from the use of
social media in females, especially young females, Social media may have a strong influence on
a persons relationship with food and fear of gaining weight. Many individuals in the social
media world are chronicling their fit bodies, food choices, and exercise regimes. For individuals
struggling with an eating disorder, the constant streams of body and food conscious posts may
cause heightened levels of stress and anxiety surrounding the perfect body image (Huffington
Post, 2017, p.1).
Girls learn these high expectations society creates for women at a young age, Though it
is highly unlikely for a rail-thin woman to have natural DD-cup size breasts, toy manufacturers
set this expectation by developing and marketing the Barbie doll, whose measurements are
physiologically impossible (Beresin & Derenne, 2006, p. 258). Setting unattainable standards
for women has resulted in an increase of eating disorders and unhealthy issues relating to the
body, Twenty-five years ago, the average fashion model was 8% thinner than the average
woman. Today, that number has risen to 23%, likely reflecting a combination of rising obesity
rates in the general population and progressively thinner ideals (Beresin & Derenne, 2006, p.
259). According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) there is an estimated 20
million women in America who will have an eating disorder sometime during their lives. Of
those 20 million women NEDA reported that 0.9% of women had anorexia during their life,
1.5% had bulimia and 3.5% of women had a binge eating disorder. A study was done by Drs.
Swanson, Crow, Le Grange, and Merikangas using the data from the National Comorbidity
Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement, Crow and colleagues found that crude mortality
rates were 4.0% for anorexia nervosa, 3.9% for bulimia nervosa, and 5.2% for eating disorder not
otherwise specified. They also found a high suicide rate in bulimia nervosa (Crow, Le Grange,
Merikangas, Swanson & Swendsen, 2011, p.1). With the increase of eating disorders in girls and
young female adults it is important to acknowledge the ways people can use social media, Use
social media as a platform for self-empowerment. Surround yourself with supportive friends and
family in your digital world and do not be afraid to celebrate who you are (Huffington Post,
2017, p. 3). Using social media as a way to encourage and inspire others helps move toward
decreasing the percentage of women who have eating disorders and relating harmful health
issues.
Social Marketing Theory
Today, social marketing theory is a collection of many different theories combined
together: the key scholars who introduced this concept are Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman.
Social marketing theory consists of six features: create audience awareness, targeting the right
audience, reinforce the message, cultivate images or impressions, stimulate interests and induce
desired results. This theory uses mass communication to promote information while
incorporating ideas, tools, techniques and the media to socially benefit society, Social
marketing theory is a collection of theories that focus on how socially valuable information can
be promoted. This theory has been used by social and welfare organizations to help promote or
discourage various behaviors (Businesstopia, 2017, p. 1). Originally, Kotler and Zaltman
formed the theory to focus more on marketing, Social marketing is the design, implementation,
and control of programs calculated to influence the acceptability of social ideas and involving
considerations of product planning, pricing, communication, distribution, and marketing
research (Kotler & Zaltman, 1971, p. 5) but as time evolved Kotler and Zaltman also analyzed
research conducted by Lazarsfeld and Merton along with Wiebe exploring the limitations of
social advertising. After the information is shared using social marketing theory, the marketer
hopes people process the information presented and learn from it. The desired results from using
the social marketing theory is that the target audience was influenced by the message and it
provided awareness to the problem, The theory is administrative in nature in such that it seeks
to outline a framework that can be used to design, implement and evaluate information
campaigns. The target audience is identified based on their information need. Once this is done
information is packaged and distributed in a manner that will be easily accessible to the intended
audience (Businesstopia, 2017, p.1). Social marketing theory is a perfect framework when
professionals in the field want to plan, design, implement and evaluate social campaigns.
Method
The first task the researcher performed was brainstorming ideas for her senior seminar
project during the fall of 2017. This task was completed on Aug. 21, 2017 and Aug. 22, 2017.
The researcher picked a topic for her senior seminar project and chose a focus area along with a
concentration within the project. The next major task the researcher performed involved filling
out an IRB form and creating consent forms for participants to sign before they partake in the
project. The researcher created surveys for participants to fill out before they partake in the
research. The researcher chose female participants from the cafeteria at Spring Hill College.
These participants were selected at random. This process happened 1-2 times a week. The
interviews were solely conducted to build content for the social media page to uplift and
encourage other women. After the interview, the researcher encouraged the participant to follow
the Instagram page and attend the speaker event during the evening of Nov. 9, 2017 at 7:30.
Before Oct. 1, 2017, the researcher created an Instagram account where the photos and short
stories of participants were kept. Instagram was used to attract the target audience of females,
ages 18-25. Instagram was the perfect social media platform to have visual content and captions
for females in the target age range. The researcher took photos on a Nikon D3300 digital camera.
Surveys were handed out after the speaker event on Nov. 9, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
After the researcher explored candidates to speak about body image, self-confidence and
female empowerment, the researcher chose Krista Harrell to speak at the researchers event on
Nov. 9, 2017. The researcher contacted Krista Harrell by email before Sept. 2, 2017. The
researcher asked Krista Harrell if she is willing to speak on Nov. 9, 2017 about body image, self-
confidence and women empowerment and she agreed. A follow-up meeting was scheduled to
discuss the event in detailed at Harrells office at The University of South Alabama. The
researcher had a second meeting with Harrell three weeks before the event. On Oct. 29, 2017 the
researcher contacted the president of Tri Delta, a sorority at Spring Hill College. The researcher
decided to partner with the sorority to eliminate conflicts between the sororities body image
discussion which was going to be held the same night as the researchers event. Between Oct. 29,
2017 and Nov. 9, 2017 the researcher promoted her event on social media and in buildings on the
campus of Spring Hill College. On Nov. 9, 2017, the researcher hosted event on body image,
self-confidence and female empowerment. After the event was held for an hour females were
asked to take a quick survey. This survey was about the speaker, body image, self-esteem and
women empowerment along with social media. Initially the researcher was holding this event by
herself but after a conflicting event the researcher partnered with Tri Delta, a sorority holding a
body image workshop the same day as the researchers events.
After the event the researcher collected analytics from Instagram. The analytics offered
by the social media site are: likes, comments, saved, impressions, reach and engagement. An
impression is the total number of times the post has been seen by the viewer. Reach is the
number of unique accounts who saw the post. In this case, the unique accounts would be people
who do not follow the public relations account. Engagement is the number of times the post
was liked, saved and commented on. Lastly, saved is just the number of unique accounts that
saved the post. The data collected from the surveys showed the survey participants age range and
ethnicity. The analytics and data collected showed the researcher the possibility of a social media
platform such as Instagram effects using positive content on body image, self-confidence and
female empowerment.
After the researcher collected the surveys participants filled out after the speaker event
the researcher imported the data recorded into a database called Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences (SPSS). The researcher performed a descriptive test, frequency test and a reliability
analysis. After inputting the data into SPSS the researcher analyzed the data.
Results
The researcher analyzed both analytics and the quantitative data collected. The Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) data can be found in APPENDIX I. and social media
analytics can be found in APPENDIX J. The researcher concluded her project and first analyzed
the analytics from the social media page on Instagram. The researcher examined the quantitative
insights from the social media site. The researcher examined impressions, likes, reach and
engagement and found the mean or median for all the posts from the beauty4campaign on
Instagram. The researcher found that the average number in which the social media campaign
received unique visits from each post was 81.5. The medial sum of impressions, which is the
total number of times the post was seen, concluded at 128 views. The average amount of likes
during the duration of the project was a total quantity of 24 likes. Lastly, the average amount of
engagement, the number of times the posts was liked, saved and commented on, averaged to 25.
The most significant analytic would be reach because it is the amount of unique accounts
viewing the posts, indicated by the hashtags and location added to each post potentially
increasing the amount of people who saw each post. In total the Instagram campaign had 66
followers.
The second part of the integrated marketing campaign the researcher analyzed was the
survey results from the speaker event on Nov. 9, 2017. The researcher asked participants to fill
out the survey regarding social media, body image and how satisfied the participants were with
the event. The researcher used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) which is a
computer software that analyzes data. The following data was quantitative using statistical
testing. It is crucial to know that the variable (n) is the amount of respondents who participated in
the event and responded to each question. The variable (M) is the mean or average in
relationship to the respondents answers. The variable (SD) is the standard deviation, which
measures the variation in response. The researcher collected n=49 surveys from the body image
speaker event on Nov. 9, 2017. Respondents filled out the survey at the conclusion of the event.
All respondents were female students at Spring Hill College. The respondents were asked to
answer 10 questions in total. Six of the questions were scale questions and four questions were
nominal. The researcher did not include the nominal questions into the database.
The first test the researcher performed was running frequencies on all variables. The
researcher found that n=23 respondents did not answer the following two questions: how
satisfied were you with the speaker Krista Harrell and how did you hear about this event? This
did not alter the data in relationship to the research question the researcher wanted to know.
From running the frequency test, n=44 respondents (89.8 valid percent) of respondents answered
that they were very satisfied with the event. The researcher asked n=49 respondents if they
strongly agree or strongly disagree if they will use social media to uplift and encourage women
in the future. All 49 respondents answered the question and n=40 respondents (81.6 valid
percent) of respondents strongly agreed that they will use social media to uplift and encourage
women in the future. The researcher asked n=49 respondents to determine whether they believe
social media can be used as a positive way to promote body image and self-love. From that
question, n=39 (79.6 valid percent) respondents completely agreed with the question. On the
contrary, three respondents disagreed and one respondent completely disagreed with the
question. The researcher asked the respondents how relevant and helpful the event was, n=42
respondents (85.7 valid percent) of the total amount of respondents said that the event was very
relevant and helpful. One respondent said that the event was very irrelevant and not helpful
which could be an outlier. The last question that was ran by a frequency test was about how
satisfied the respondent was with the speaker. A total of n=26 respondents answered this
question leaving n=16 respondents very satisfied with the speaker and n=8 respondents very
dissatisfied. The data from this question is not what the researcher thought it would be which
means there could be errors from the respondents whether it was the survey format or not
answering the question which led to low percentage of very satisfied participants. The researcher
also wanted to know how respondents heard about the event. Once again, n=26 respondents
answered this question in which n=12 respondents (24.5 valid percent) of the participants
answered that they heard about the event from friends. The researcher was surprised that n=6
respondents (12.2 valid percent) of participants heard about the event from professors at Spring
Hill College.
The next test the researcher ran was a descriptive test. This allowed the researcher to see
the average response for each question by each respondent. The first question the researcher
analyzed was how satisfied were you with the event When running descriptive statistics the
researcher found that n=49 resulted with a M=1.20 which means that respondents did not answer
the question similarly. For the same question, the SD=.735 was a low number which means
people agreed to this question. On the contrary, when n=26 respondents were asked how satisfied
they were with the speaker at the event the M=3.69 and the SD=1.850 which is a high number
which means that respondents did not all agree when answering that question. In regards to
question three, which asked respondents, if they strongly agree or strongly disagree with the
statement I will use social media to uplift and encourage women in the future. From this
question M=1.49 and the SD=1.175 which means respondents did not agree with the statement
the researcher included in the survey. The researcher was surprised that respondents did not
agree with the statement even though the average in which respondents answered was between
strongly agree and agree.
The most significant result may have been the outcome from the reliability analysis.
Running a reliability analysis test determines whether a group of scale questions points to the
research question. First the researcher grouped all the scale questions to run the reliability test
but the Cronbachs Alpha resulted in a .403 which means that the questions that were grouped to
be tested did not point towards the research question. The researcher then ran the same test to see
if there were any questions that led to the research question. Two scale questions were grouped
together to conclude whether if the use of an integrated marketing campaign influence
Americans misleading view of ideal beauty and body image. By running the reliability analysis
test with the questions, I will use social media to uplift and encourage women in the future and
Do you believe social media can be used as a positive way to promote body image and self-
love? From these two scale questions that were grouped, the Cronbachs Alpha resulted in a .75
and based on standardized items the Cronbachs Alpha resulted in a .76. This concluded that the
two questions above indeed points to the research question the researcher originally wanted to
know. The results provided are a small sample size but can be used as a precedent for further
research.
Conclusion/Discussion
Previous research by scholars and professionals, determined social media can impact
females negatively. It is no secret in recent years that social media, along with pop culture, has
great power, especially in the lives of women. Society has defined what beauty is and how it
can be achieved and the easiest ways to access this definition of beauty is through social media
sites such as Instagram. Further research was conducted and examined in the area of an
integrated marketing campaign exploring the use of social media along with other forms of
communication and how they can appeal to users while influencing consumers. The researcher
will conclude if the use of Instagram can be utilized to influence to communicate positive body
image for females. The researcher will use the social marketing theory as an underpinning for the
research. The questions the researcher will answer are as follows: How can the use of an
integrated marketing campaign influence Americans misleading view of ideal beauty and body
image? The researcher performed secondary research which included in depth interviews which
was used for the social media site and the researcher planned an event on campus to have a
speaker talk about body image and self-esteem. The event was evaluated by respondents
completing surveys.
At the beginning of this project the project leader asked, How can the use of an
integrated marketing campaign influence Americans misleading view of ideal beauty and body
image? The results from the project indicated that an integrated marketing campaign using
social media and especially verbal communication succeeded the researchers campaign. In this
case, the answer to the research question is yes, the use of an integrated marketing campaign can
influence Americans misleading view of ideal beauty and body image to uplift and encourage
women. With the use of social market theory, the theory is useful in explaining the success of
integrated marketing campaigns. It is important to acknowledge that this was a small random
sample of women on the college of Spring Hill College and a very small sample of all women.
The results could be altered by taking a larger sample of women at a different college/university
or a group of women that do not attend an institution of higher education. This idea should be
addressed in future works.
The research conducted evaluates the importance of using social media as a tool to uplift,
encourage and inspire women. The study conducted by the researcher cannot be generalized
considering all women. Participants may respond differently in regards to social media usage.
For this study the researcher used Instagram as the social media platform. If a professional would
like to conduct the same study but for women ages 35-40 the researcher could possibly get
similar results using Facebook which is targeted at middle aged women. While conducting her
research and project, the researcher had many questions but one stood out the most: What would
happen if the integrated marketing campaign lasted longer than the duration of 15 weeks? Would
the campaign be more successful with additional social media posts and body image discussions?
This is an additional idea in which researchers should address in future works.
Reflection
When I received the email from Dr. Babington over the summer about Senior Seminar I
had a mixture of emotions. I was happy to embark on this journey that would prepare me for the
real world but I was also nervous. I started thinking about possible project ideas and events that I
could perform with nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit work is something I am very passionate
about but when I saw a video on Facebook about female beauty and how society has skewed
what the ideal body image is I wanted to learn more. Once the semester started and I began doing
some light research. I read so much about how social media is bad for young female users. I then
thought, what if social media could be used to uplift women and encourage themselves and
others to love their bodies. Personally, there are days I scroll through social media and get
discouraged about my appearance; I am sure other females, young or old feel the same way.
When starting the project, I knew I wanted Instagram as the social media platform. The target
audience was young adults ages 18 and older. Instagram is the most popular social media
platform among that target audience group. I also knew I wanted to have a speaker come to
Spring Hill College to talk about female body image, women empowerment and self-esteem as
my event. When Krista Harrell accepted proposal to be the speaker at the event, I could not stop
smiling ear-to-ear. She is a fierce, powerful and confident female who I felt could positively
connect with and influence students attending the event.
The hardest part for me during senior seminar was writing the paper and time
management. After the month of September, I took to many days off where I did not do as much
work as I should have causing me to scramble at the end of October and in November. That
meant I had to dedicate double the time to senior seminar instead of doing other things like
hanging out with friends or getting sufficient sleep. I was disappointed in myself when it came to
the social media page on Instagram. I think I could have made a stronger presence by adding
more content to the page. If I were to create a social media page again it would be successful to
pay to boost the post and pages. I did have a significant amount of accounts I reached. This
probably resulted from the hashtags I used. Many of the girls I interviewed appreciated what I
was doing and how I was doing it. If I were to revise how I obtained survey participants it would
not involve asking females in the cafeteria at Spring Hill College. I think if I had a signup sheet
online I could get a wide range of females and even faculty and staff at Spring Hill College.
During this process there were a few hiccups causing me to think quickly on my feet. The
first problem, happening twice, was other organizations or faculty members asking me to change
venues with them for their event. I had to change the venue of the event twice before it was set
and stone. Two weeks before my event I came across the second setback. A sorority on campus
planned a week full of events on self-love and body image the same week as my event. They
actually scheduled a body image discussion the same night as my event and the times of both
events overlapped. I knew I had to think fast so I emailed the chapter president of the sorority
and asked to merge our events together. I did not want people to have to pick and choose which
event to go to, especially because the topic is very important. Partnering with the sorority was
not what I first had in mind but I thought it was the right decision to assure success and get the
ample amount of survey responses.
The last several days before finishing the project and paper were stressful. I had a quick
turn around because my event was Thursday and I wanted my paper officially done by Friday
afternoon to allow for multiple review and revision before printing and submitting the final draft.
After Tuesday I felt pretty good about my paper and just had to turn it in. I think what Im most
nervous about is the presentation because I sometimes struggle putting my thoughts into coherent
words.
As far as the event went I thought it went amazing. There were no problems before or
during the event despite my nervousness over possible issues. The attendance at the event was
over Spring Hill College 80 students. This was more than I expected! The females who attended
the event participated in an interactive program conducted by Krista Harrell. Harrell allowed the
audience to express their view on self-esteem, body image and women empowerment. After the
event I did not have any other worries because I knew as long as I showed my best work through
my writing everything will be fine. Overall, I enjoyed the topic of my project. Body image and
self-love is very important to me and I am glad I could conduct research about that topic. This is
something that I would love to continue after senior seminar.

References
Andsager, L. J. (2014). Research in directions in social media and body image. Springer Science +
Business Media, 71, 407-413. doi: 10.1007/s11199-014-0430-4
Beresin, M. D. & Derenne, L. J. (2006). Body image, media, and eating disorders. Academic Psychiatry,
30(3), 257-261.
Dugan, K. (2016). Social media is not for body shaming. University of Florida College of Journalism and
Communications. Retrieved http://ufsocial.jou.ufl.edu/
Fox, K. (2017). How social media affects the teenage brain. CNN. Retrieved http://www.cnn.com/
Garcia, T. (2015). Promoting a positive body image doesnt mean banishing all thin models. Adweek. Retrieved
http://www.adweek.com/
Kotler, P. & Zaltman, G. (1971). Social marketing: an approach to planned social change. American Marketing
Association, 35(3), 3-12.
Mirror Mirror. (2017). The media and body image. Mirror-Mirror. Retrieved http://www.mirror-mirror.org/
Monllos, K. (2016). Dove wants women to define beauty for themselves in new campaign. Adweek.
Retrieved http://www.adweek.com/
Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in adolescents. (2016). National Eating Disorders
Association. Retrieved https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Perloff, M. R. (2014). Social media effects on young womens body image concerns: theoretical perspectives and
an agenda for research. Springer Science + Business Media New York. doi: 10.1007/s11199-014-0384-6
Salam, M. (2017). Why radical body love is thriving on Instagram. The New York Times Company. Retrieved
https://www.nytimes.com/
Smith-Jackson, T., Reel, J. J., & Thackeray, R. (2014). The practical application of promoting positive
body image on a college campus: insights from freshmen women. American Journal of Health
Education, 45, 105-111. doi:10.1080/19325037.2013.875965
Social marketing theory. (2017). Businesstopia. Retrieved https://www.businesstopia.net/
Social media and its effect on eating disorders. (2017). Huffington Post. Retrieved
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Weiner, J. (2016). Positive body confidence: how social media can affect body image. Unilever. Retrieved
https://www.dove.com/us/en/home.html
What are eating disorders? (2016). National Eating Disorders Association. Retrieved
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Appendices
Appendices Table of Contents
APPENDIX A. Emails to and from Krista Harrell
APPENDIX B. IRB application form
APPENDIX C. Participation consent form
APPENDIX D. Emails to and from Sharon Williams
APPENDIX E. Social media interview questions
APPENDIX F. Instagram account logo
APPENDIX G. Instagram account content
APPENDIX H. Body image event feedback survey
APPENDIX I. SPSS data
APPENDIX J. Instagram social media analytics
APPENDIX K. Promotional flyer for event

APPENDIX A.
APPENDIX B.
APPENDIX C.
CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH
You are being invited to participate in a research study.
Before you agree to participate, the researcher needs to tell you about (1) the purposes, procedures and
duration of the research; (2) any procedures which are experimental; (3) any reasonably foreseeable risks,
discomforts, and benefits of the research; (4) any potentially beneficial alternative procedures or
treatments; and (5) how confidentiality will be maintained. If you agree to participate, you must be given
a signed copy of this form and a written summary of the research.
You may contact Dr. Babington at sbabington@shc.edu any time you have questions or concerns about
the research. If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact the
Institutional Review Board Chair at cgreer@shc.edu.
Your signature on this document means that this research study has been explained to you, that the
explanation includes the above information, and that you agree voluntarily to participate.
I _______________________ give permission for Jasmine Ader to use my likeness for the Beauty 4
public relations campaign. I understand the image/video could be used by the project planner for
promotional purposes. I agree to hold harmless Spring Hill College for any issues that may result from
my participation. I understand that I will not be compensated for my participation.
I________________________ do not give permission for Jasmine Ader to use my likeness for the Beauty
4 public relations campaign but I will complete the interview.
_____________________________ ____________________________
Signature of Participant Signature of Witness
_________________________ ________________________
Typed/printed Name Typed/printed name
_________________ _____________________
Date Date
APPENDIX D.
APPENDIX E.
Interview Questions about Body Image
1. Have you ever experienced insecurities about your body because of Americas distorted view
of the ideal body image? If so, describe a time you felt this way.
2. Describe a time you have ever felt pressured by the media to change the way you look?
3. Do you think social media, specifically Instagram, has a positive or negative effect on body
image in females? Why?
4. What is your definition of beauty?
5. As you have aged, have you become more or less self-conscious about your body? Why?
6. What do you think causes females to have insecurities about their body image?
7. How often do you think about your appearance?
8. Do you think societies view on body image has change positively or negatively in the last
decade?
9. What do you think society can do to change the distorted view of the ideal female body
image?
10. What empowers you to be the best woman you can be?
APPENDIX F.
APPENDIX G.
APPENDIX H.
APPENDIX I.
APPENDIX J.
APPENDIX K.

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Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA ON FEMALE BODY IMAGE

The Impact of Social Media on Female Body Image

Spring Hill College

idea of a perfect body.

consumers conform to those ideals.

individuals, people can change the way social media is presented.

media can have in relationship to body image in females.

used to promote positivity, self-confidence and body image.

Body Image and Social Media

like anorexia and bulimia (Mirror Mirror, 2017, p. 1).

such as eating disorders and low self-esteem:

available individual counseling, participation in the National Eating Disorder Awareness

resources. Freshmen women were introduced to these services during freshmen

(Smith-Jackson, Reel, et al, 2014, p. 3).

emerging trend with a potentially successful impact among females.

An excellent example of media literacy education on self-image is the Dove Evolution

(Andsager, 2014 p. 411).

negative outcomes social media can have on an individual.

Eating Disorders and Health Issues

Post, 2017, p.1).

Social Marketing Theory

Today, social marketing theory is a collection of many different theories combined

considerations of product planning, pricing, communication, distribution, and marketing

body image workshop the same day as the researchers events.

strongly agree and agree.

together to conclude whether if the use of an integrated marketing campaign influence

addressed in future works.

This is an additional idea in which researchers should address in future works.

connect with and influence students attending the event.

ample amount of survey responses.

something that I would love to continue after senior seminar.

Business Media, 71, 407-413. doi: 10.1007/s11199-014-0430-4

Communications. Retrieved http://ufsocial.jou.ufl.edu/

Association, 35(3), 3-12.

Association. Retrieved https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

Education, 45, 105-111. doi:10.1080/19325037.2013.875965

Social marketing theory. (2017). Businesstopia. Retrieved https://www.businesstopia.net/

Appendices Table of Contents

APPENDIX A. Emails to and from Krista Harrell

APPENDIX B. IRB application form

APPENDIX C. Participation consent form

APPENDIX D. Emails to and from Sharon Williams

APPENDIX E. Social media interview questions

APPENDIX F. Instagram account logo

APPENDIX G. Instagram account content

APPENDIX H. Body image event feedback survey

APPENDIX I. SPSS data

APPENDIX J. Instagram social media analytics

APPENDIX K. Promotional flyer for event

CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH

You are being invited to participate in a research study.

Signature of Participant Signature of Witness

Typed/printed Name Typed/printed name

Interview Questions about Body Image

4. What is your definition of beauty?

7. How often do you think about your appearance?

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