Being a Taylor Swift Fan Could Positively Impact Your Body Image, Study Finds

Now, new analysis from the College of Vermont means that Swift’s affect extends far previous the realm of leisure and into the world of disordered consuming. In accordance with the research, printed within the journal Social Science & Medication, Swift’s candidness round her personal body-image struggles has had a constructive affect on followers, serving to to cut back the stigma of consuming problems and promote a supportive surroundings for Swifties.

Some celeb-on-fan context

These findings might sound apparent (isn’t candidness round well being all the time an excellent factor?), however previous analysis has really discovered the other to be true in the case of celebrities and their followers.

In a 2016 research printed within the Journal of Consuming Problems, researchers discovered that web searches for “pro-eating dysfunction phrases” would spike after a high-profile movie star disclosed their very own consuming dysfunction. A 2005 research within the British Journal of Well being Psychology additionally discovered that youthful teenage women (lots of whom at the moment are grownup followers of Swift) have been extra more likely to have damaging views of their very own our bodies if that they had a parasocial relationship with a star.

However regardless of these earlier findings, researchers—who analyzed roughly 200 posts on Reddit and TikTok—discovered Swift to be a uniquely “constructive position mannequin,” particularly as she’s turn out to be extra outspoken about her personal struggles. In recent times, for instance, Swift’s 2022 music “You are On Your Personal, Child” contains references to disordered consuming and considering patterns, whereas her 2023 music video “Anti-Hero” options Swift stepping on a scale that reads “fats” (a picture that sparked criticism of “anti-fat bias” and led Swift’s group to take away it from sure variations of the video).

However Swift’s first—and arguably most notable—disclosure was in her 2020 documentary “Miss Americana,” the place she revealed that she had lengthy struggled with disordered consuming earlier than looking for assist. “You do not ever say to your self, ‘Look, I’ve received an consuming dysfunction,’” Swift says within the documentary. “However you recognize you are making an inventory of every thing you place in your mouth that day, and you recognize that is most likely not proper.”

Swift’s admission—and its ensuing media protection—is what prompted researchers to dig in and examine its potential cultural influence. “Taylor Swift is so in style proper now, and I had an concept,” research co-author Lizzy Pope, PhD, RD, affiliate professor and director of the undergraduate dietetics program on the College of Vermont, tells Effectively+Good. “Did [Swift’s] disclosures in Miss Americana, and in a few of her music, really assist individuals with their very own consuming problems and physique picture points—or have been they dangerous?”

Contained in the Swift research

To search out out, Pope and her co-author Kelsey Rose, MPH, RD, medical assistant professor at College of Vermont, dissected and analyzed greater than 8,000 feedback on 200 social media posts since 2019, all associated to Taylor Swift and physique picture. Pope and Rose seemed by means of feedback on TikTok (the place they searched “Taylor Swift physique picture” and skim feedback on the highest 100 movies) and on Reddit (the place they searched “physique picture” and “consuming dysfunction” and skim by means of feedback inside the r/TaylorSwift fan group).

Pope tells Effectively+Good that she was most stunned by how usually commenters talked about the constructive influence Swift had on them, particularly in how they handle and examine their our bodies. (In fact, it’s additionally vital to acknowledge the constraints of this research: The feedback have been restricted to these written in English with no identifiable demographics, so it’s potential that folks of various genders, races, ages, and backgrounds might not be as receptive to Swift’s body-image feedback).

Whereas Swift is changing into an more and more in style subject to debate in academia, the dialog is especially centered on Swift’s lyrical prowess or her influence on the economic system. That’s why some consultants are so intrigued by the findings of this research, together with Meghan Gillen, PhD, psychology professor at Penn State Abington who makes a speciality of physique picture and consuming habits.

Gillen tells Effectively+Good that this research is among the first of its variety particularly centered on Swift’s constructive influence on physique picture. “Most research [are focused] on the damaging affect of celebrities on individuals,” Gillen tells Effectively+Good, “so I used to be tremendous excited to see this research.”

What about different celebs?

Understandably, the findings of this research don’t essentially imply that the outcomes can be related with anybody else. “The context is completely different for every movie star,” Gillen says. “Possibly somebody who is a little more controversial may be much less positively acquired.” Kylie Jenner, in actual fact, made a push a number of years in the past to talk out about dangerous body-image requirements, however was met with appreciable pushback from critics who felt that her household had a task in perpetuating—and profiting off of—these very requirements.

Swift herself has confronted some controversy, although, particularly round her Anti-Hero music video and its alleged promotion of “anti-fat bias,” in response to some critics—who, it’s price noting, have been additionally criticized for his or her criticisms. Gillen and Pope say these differing arguments say rather a lot in regards to the state of body-image discourse: Emotions about our bodies are complicated, and people fighting dangerous messaging aren’t all the time proof against spreading it.

“It was fascinating to see how [Swift’s] private disclosures round her points helped individuals with their very own journeys, but it surely did not essentially translate to a much bigger understanding of what anti-fat bias is and the way it can present up,” Pope says. “Even when you have an consuming dysfunction, you possibly can nonetheless have anti-fat bias; in actual fact, it’s a trademark a part of the prognosis.”

The place to go from right here

These findings general show the immense energy that popular culture can have in shaping habits and beliefs, Pope says. Which means these within the public eye have a accountability to pay attention to what messaging they’re placing out into the world—and followers have a accountability to think about who they’re selecting to idolize.

“Select your parasocial relationships properly,” Pope recommends. “They’ll actually assist you to navigate your psychological well being and cultural challenges, or they will [potentially] contribute to them.”

In case you or somebody you recognize is fighting an consuming dysfunction, name the Nationwide Alliance for Consuming Problems Helpline at 1-866-662-1235 for speedy help, or go to allianceforeatingdisorders.com or anad.org/get-help for extra assets.