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. Based on the research, printed within the journal Social Science & Medication, Swift’s candidness round her personal body-image struggles has had a optimistic affect on followers, serving to to scale back the stigma of consuming issues and promote a supportive surroundings for Swifties.

Some celeb-on-fan context

These findings could sound apparent (isn’t candidness round well being at all times a great factor?), however previous analysis has truly discovered the alternative to be true in relation to celebrities and their followers.

In a 2016 research printed within the Journal of Consuming Issues, researchers discovered that web searches for “pro-eating dysfunction phrases” would spike after a high-profile celeb disclosed their very own consuming dysfunction. A 2005 research within the British Journal of Well being Psychology additionally discovered that youthful teenage women (a lot of whom at the moment are grownup followers of Swift) have been extra more likely to have detrimental 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 “optimistic position mannequin,” particularly as she’s grow to be extra outspoken about her personal struggles. In recent times, for instance, Swift’s 2022 tune “You are On Your Personal, Child” consists of references to disordered consuming and pondering 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 workforce 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 searching for assist. “You do not ever say to your self, ‘Look, I’ve obtained an consuming dysfunction,’” Swift says within the documentary. “However you already know you are making a listing of all the things you place in your mouth that day, and you already know 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 well-liked proper now, and I had an thought,” 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, truly assist folks with their very own consuming issues 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 via 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 via feedback inside the r/TaylorSwift fan neighborhood).

Pope tells Effectively+Good that she was most shocked by how typically commenters talked about the optimistic influence Swift had on them, particularly in how they handle and look at their our bodies. (After all, it’s additionally necessary to acknowledge the constraints of this research: The feedback have been restricted to these written in English with no identifiable demographics, so it’s attainable that individuals of various genders, races, ages, and backgrounds might not be as receptive to Swift’s body-image feedback).

Whereas Swift is turning into an more and more well-liked subject to debate in academia, the dialog is principally targeted on Swift’s lyrical prowess or her influence on the economic system. That’s why some specialists 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 without doubt one of the first of its variety particularly centered on Swift’s optimistic influence on physique picture. “Most research [are focused] on the detrimental affect of celebrities on folks,” 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 totally different for every celeb,” Gillen says. “Perhaps somebody who is a little more controversial is likely to be much less positively obtained.” Kylie Jenner, in reality, 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 job 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 line with some critics—who, it’s price noting, have been additionally criticized for his or her criticisms. Gillen and Pope say these differing arguments say quite a bit in regards to the state of body-image discourse: Emotions about our bodies are advanced, and people battling dangerous messaging aren’t at all times resistant to spreading it.

“It was attention-grabbing to see how [Swift’s] private disclosures round her points helped folks with their very own journeys, nevertheless it did not essentially translate to an even bigger understanding of what anti-fat bias is and the way it can present up,” Pope says. “Even if in case you have an consuming dysfunction, you’ll be able to nonetheless have anti-fat bias; in reality, it’s a trademark a part of the analysis.”

The place to go from right here

These findings total 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 duty to pay attention to what messaging they’re placing out into the world—and followers have a duty to contemplate who they’re selecting to idolize.

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

If you happen to or somebody you already know is battling an consuming dysfunction, name the Nationwide Alliance for Consuming Issues Helpline at 1-866-662-1235 for rapid assist, or go to allianceforeatingdisorders.com or anad.org/get-help for extra sources.