The relationship between instagram use and body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and internalization of beauty ideals: a correlational study of Iranian women

Body dissatisfaction, defined as a person’s negative feelings about her body appearance or weight, is a common problem among women and can lead to different health-related problems. This correlational study aimed to investigate how Instagram use is associated with body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and internalization of beauty ideals. A random sample of 241 Iranian women was recruited from a university of medical sciences. They were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, an Instagram use questionnaire, the Body Dissatisfaction, and the Drive for Thinness as the subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory, and the Internalization-General subscale of the Sociocultural Attitude Toward Appearance Questionnaire. The findings showed that Instagram use and appearance comparison with fitspiration images and the images of relatives and celebrities had significant positive relationships with body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and internalization of beauty ideals. Appearance comparison with the images of relatives and strangers also had significant positive relationships with the drive for thinness and the internalization of body ideals, while appearance comparison with the images of friends had a significant positive relationship with the internalization of beauty ideals. To conclude, the more frequent use of Instagram is associated with greater body image concerns among Iranian women.