{
  "id": 9229255,
  "title": "Fit, thin, curvy and toned: the contradictory body ideals young NZ women face online",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/fit-thin-curvy-and-toned-the-contradictory-body-ideals-young-nz-women",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T23:26:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/fit-thin-curvy-and-toned-the-contradictory-body-ideals-young-nz-women-face-online-292230"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the digital age, social media has become a primary source of health, fitness and body image advice for many people around the world. Influencers on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok often showcase highly curated images of health, happiness and success, featuring themselves as fit, thin, curvy and toned. These influencers, including Sommer Ray, Tammy Hembrow and Kayla Itsines, have amassed millions of followers, presenting a seemingly attainable ideal for young women across the globe.\n\nWhile some young women find these fitness influencers motivating and educational, social media can also lead to negative impacts on body image and self-esteem. A recent study of 200 young New Zealand women has revealed the complex and sometimes contradictory body ideals they encounter online. These include pressure to be lean and toned, thin, curvy, fashionable, fat-free, muscular or \"thick,\" with shapely buttocks and thighs.\n\nA significant 57% of the participants felt under strong pressure to achieve these ideals, yet they also recognized the difficulty in reconciling them. For instance, how can one simultaneously be thin and curvy? The study also found a contradiction in online fitness trends, which are often marketed as empowering and promoting body positivity and self-love. However, these trends also encourage strict control over diet, exercise, and other aspects of daily life, leading some individuals to experience disappointment and negative relationships with their bodies.\n\nSome participants reported engaging in disordered eating practices, while others expressed a fear of weight gain or constantly searching for new flaws. The pressure to achieve these ideals can also result in potentially harmful behavior, with 17% of participants engaging in disordered eating and others considering cosmetic surgery. Even those who believe they have achieved an ideal body still compare themselves to others online, only to encounter another ideal to live up to.\n\nThe study also explored the \"glow up\" trend, a social media phenomenon that became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend revolves around documenting a visible transformation into a supposedly better version of oneself, encompassing various aspects of life such as sleep, diet, exercise, and career goals. While some participants found motivation in the glow up trend, most described feeling pressured to transform multiple aspects of their lives, often making life itself feel like a \"project.\"\n\nDespite acknowledging the harm caused by these rapidly changing and contradictory body ideals, young women found it challenging to escape the pressure. Social media is \"inescapable\" and present in their lives \"24/7\", making it difficult to take a break even when desired. Many participants suggested ways to manage this exposure, such as unfollowing harmful accounts or taking a \"digital detox\" to focus on offline activities like sports or journaling.\n\nEducation can play a role in helping young people recognize and navigate harmful content; however, relying solely on individual action places the responsibility on the same young women being exposed to these ideals. The study raises the question of where responsibility for reducing harm should lie, suggesting that addressing these issues will require more than asking young women to change their online behavior. Social media platforms and algorithms, which determine what users see, must also be considered in the solution to this complex problem.",
  "summary": "We asked 200 young New Zealand women about the body ideals they encountered online. Here’s what they said.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}