As research highlights the dangers social media can have on people’s ideas of body image, Instagram has teamed up with The Butterfly Foundation to share the perspective of some influencers who share a message of being ‘body kind’.
Butterfly Foundation is the national charity for all Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, and for the families, friends and communities who support them.
Their new partnership with Instagram comes as they release research that shows that social media has a big impact on people’s perceptions. The Butterfly Foundation surveyed 1,000 of their members, the findings demonstrated that while people’s own perception of their bodies had the biggest impact on how they felt about their appearance; social media also had a big impact on how people feel about themselves and their bodies.
The key findings included that 86% of respondents reported they had previously had to unfollow or mute a person’s account that they were following as it was having a negative impact on their mental health.
They also found that 42% of people had used filters on social media to improve the way they look, and 34% of respondents said they frequently wished they looked like an influencer, while 40% of people said they compared their posts and photos to those of their friends.
Not surprisingly, 62 per cent of those surveyed said they pressure to look a certain way on social media. While 86% of people surveyed reported that they had to unfollow or mute a person’s account as it was having a negative impact on their mental health.
The new campaign launched this week features five Australian social media influencers who share their own thoughts on body image and peer pressure, alongside advice on how to manage you social media feed.
Delivering the Body Kind Online tips is podcaster and comedian Alright Hey, entrepreneur and spiritual coach Allira Potter, former Miss Universe Australia, author and mental health advocate Olivia Molly Rogers, non-binary LGBTIQA+ activist, podcaster, educator and style guru Deni Todorovič and model Kate Wasley.
Alright Hey said they were a big user of using the unfollow button to curate their social media feed.
“I just don’t have time for people that I don’t want to follow and I’m not scared to hit that Unfollow button if it’s going to make me happier.” the comedian said in a video for the project.
Fashion influencer Deni Todorovič spoke about how setting boundaries is an important skill when managing social media.
“The one thing you must always remember is that you are in control of your social media. Literally, it’s in your hands.” Todorovič said, advocating for a liberal use of the block function when necessary.
Alex Cowen, Communications Manager at Butterfly Foundation said the campaign was focused on how people could be kinder to each other.
“Butterfly is proud to once again work with Instagram to foster a positive body image online. #BodyKindOnline sparks discussion and offers practical advice about how we can all be kinder to our own and each others’ bodies online. Everyone, particularly young people, needs to be equipped with strong social media literacy skills to disrupt the negative feedback loop that can sometimes occur online.
“This campaign puts the power into young peoples’ hands and gives them the tools to reject unattainable appearance ideals, social comparison and the seemingly ‘perfect’ life that can fill our feeds.” Cowen said.
Read more about the research and the Body Kind Online campaign
OIP Staff
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