"Pilates princesses' vs. 'gym bros': a gendered perspective on the impact of TikTok's health and fitness content on body esteem

Abstract

The last few years have seen health and fitness content on social media platform TikTok changing perceptions of fitness and gym culture. At the same time, body ideals around the world continuously change according to trends. With gym culture endorsed alongside precariously shifting body standards, the study seeks to discover how health and fitness content can impact the body esteem of Singaporean men and women through reinforcing or challenging feminine and masculine ideals. 20 participants aged 21 to 25, who primarily used TikTok for its fast-learning algorithm and empowering content, were interviewed. Representations of body ideals were affected by TikTok content that influenced their beliefs about bodies from other cultures, but could be misguided. Applying Objectification Theory, results also showed that participants linked body ideals to traditional gender roles, and that female participants — having viewed TikTok content with positive messages — were more likely than male participants to subvert gender norms.