Barnabas on Public Health: Rise of the gym selfies

Are you for or against? Fitness selfies are everywhere: gym check-ins, Twitter updates of muddy runners at the True Grit finish line, and friends dripping sweat and self-congratulation onto Facebook feeds. Just check out #gym and #gymflow on Instagram - there's a lot of people intent on proving their fitness wins to the digital world.?

"When we take a photo of ourselves and post it on social media, we are trying to communicate a specific message," says Kellie Hodder, a psychologist at Bodymatters Australasia, an eating disorders clinic.?

"In the case of gym selfies, we are attempting to convey perhaps that we are hardworking. The pursuit of health is seen as something to be revered in society. Fitness and health have moral meanings attached. People who pursue health and fitness are viewed as being disciplined, motivated, controlled and valued members of society.'

A smug gym selfie doubles as a visual brag then, declaring with false nonchalance, "I'm better than you." Unhealthy people are perceived as lazy and undisciplined, so by posting a photo at the gym we are sharing our moral worth. read more

Source: http://barnabasonpublichealth.blogspot.com/2013/07/rise-of-gym-selfies.html

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