Orig. title: Bodyshaming und Social Media. Fokusgruppen mit 15- bis 19-jährigen Mädchen/jungen Frauen aus Wien.
Engl. transl.: Bodyshaming and Social Media. Focus groups with 15- to 19-year-old girls/young women from Vienna.
Keywords
social media
girl
young women
bodyshaming
Publication details
| Year: | 2017 |
| Issued: | 2017 |
| Language: | German |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Großegger B.; Fietz J.; Sedlacek L.; Schorn M. |
| Type: | Report and working paper |
| Book title: | Bodyshaming und Social Media. Fokusgruppen mit 15- bis 19-jährigen Mädchen/jungen Frauen aus Wien. |
| Publisher: | Stadt Wien |
| Place: | Vienna |
| Topics: | Internet usage, practices and engagement; Content-related issues; Wellbeing; Risks and harms |
| Sample: | Two focus groups. Girls and young women. The participants in the discussion were selected by means of a partially standardised preliminary survey ("screening"). Focus group 1 (n=9): Educational homogeneity with 15- to 19-year-old female pupils with a high affinity for social media. Focus group 2 (n=8): 15- to 19-year-old female apprentices or employed or unemployed girls and young women with a high affinity for social media. |
| Implications For Educators About: | Other |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | Creating a safe environment for children online; Stepping up awareness and empowerment; Other |
| Other PolicyMaker Implication: | Awareness rising for health issues |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Researchers; Healthcare |
Abstract
"It is not a new phenomenon, that popular media transport debatable ideals of beauty.And it is equally not new that young women in particular are often not measured by their competences, qualifications and "skills", but by their appearance and body. The "social media" popular with young people, i.e. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and co., have brought a new dynamic into the debate about body ideals and their role as role models for young people. In professional circles as well as in the public debate, this development is being lively discussed under the title "Bodyshaming and Social Media". From the point of view of health promotion, it is important to counter the associated negative effects with strategies that positively strengthen girls' and young women's body awareness and defuse the dynamics of bodyshaming. This requires knowledge about the mechanisms and effects of bodyshaming in youth cultural environments, to which adults usually have little access." (Großegger/Fietz/Sedlacek/Schorn, 2017, 5; translated by the coder)
Outcome
"The topic of "body shaming in social media" is anchored in the lives of girls and young women, but the consequences of the phenomenon are perceived much less dramatically than the critical public debate would suggest. Social media are part of young people's everyday lives and negative comments are "part of the game" from the point of view of 15-19 year olds; i.e. anyone who posts content online must expect to receive negative feedback. Bodyshaming is not perceived and described as an independent phenomenon, but as a partial aspect of cyberbullying. All in all, the girls and young women are not unreflective about the problem, but they take a different perspective on the problem than the critical debate conducted by adults." (Großegger/Fietz/Sedlacek/Schorn, 2017, 23; translated by the coder)