"Are You Ready For It? New Research Highlights Taylor Swift's Empowering Effect on Fans' Body Image"

Fans of Taylor Swift admire the singer for various reasons—her songwriting, charisma, and “Easter egg” clues are just a few. Now, a new study has uncovered another reason why the iconic singer strikes a chord with her fans—she promotes healthy body image.

The study, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine in early July, investigated whether Swift’s candor about her past struggles with an eating disorder and body image issues had any positive impact on fans.

After analyzing over 200 posts on TikTok and Reddit, the researchers found Swift helped reduce eating disorder stigma amongst fans.

“The biggest takeaway from our research is that by sharing her own struggles with disordered eating, Swift was seen as a role model for the importance of a healthy relationship with food and body,” study author Lizzy Pope, PhD, RD, associate professor and director of the undergraduate dietetics program at the University of Vermont, told Health.

Disordered eating can refer to any “problematic eating behaviors,” including unhealthy calorie restriction and clinical eating disorders, while body image issues can refer to any negative perceptions or beliefs about a person’s body. Research has shown that between 20% and 40% of American women struggle with a negative body image, as well as 10% to 30% of men.

Here’s what experts had to say about the new research and how to build a more positive body image, regardless of whether you’re a Swiftie.

For this study, Pope and her colleague included 201 posts on TikTok and Reddit, including comment sections. They performed a qualitative analysis and looked at how the content treated four different themes: body image, disordered eating, diet culture, and anti-fat bias, Pope explained.

These posts often pointed to Swift’s lyrics in songs such as “You’re On Your Own Kid” or “Tied Together With a Smile,” both of which discuss body image issues. Swift’s 2020 Miss Americana documentary was also frequently mentioned by fans online—in the film, the singer discussed her disordered eating and body image issues, particularly during her 1989 album rollout and tour.

“Both her disclosures in Miss Americana and her songs seemed to positively impact fans,” said Pope.

Overall, Swifties on Reddit and TikTok talked about how the singer was a positive role model for them and how her music and documentary helped them personally heal from disordered eating or negative body image.

However, there were limitations to the impact of Swift’s work. The researchers still noticed persistent objectification of Swift’s body, and found fans still struggled with understanding anti-fat bias, particularly when it came to Swift using the word “fat” to illustrate her insecurities in a first iteration of the “Anti-Hero” music video.

It’s important to study the impact of celebrities on body image, Pope said, as they play a role in setting and reinforcing these societal norms.

Previous research found that celebrities can have a negative impact on fans’ body image, particularly when everyday people are looking at photos of celebrities or “worship[ping]” them.

This likely stems from our inclination toward social comparison, said Robyn Pashby, PhD, psychologist and director of Health Psychology Partners.

“We compare ourselves to others in two primary ways: upward comparison, when we compare ourselves against those we deem to be more successful [or] attractive,” she told Health, “and also downward comparison, when we compare ourselves against those who we deem ‘less than.’”

This comparison happens in our everyday lives, but this upward comparison in particular can be heightened on social media, Pashby explained.

“Most social media portrays the ‘best’ version of a person and of a situation,” said Pashby. “Thus, social media consumers are much more likely to find themselves in universal upward comparison, particularly with regard to body image.”

This rampant online comparison makes it easier for disordered eating behaviors to become more normalized, added Rachel Engelhart, RD, LPC, registered dietician and clinical director at Eating Recovery Center.

“[People] might be hearing this message and overly internalizing it in a way that is harmful to their health and wellbeing,” she told Health.

However, Pope’s new research suggests that celebrities’ speaking up about their own experiences with body image issues might make a positive difference in the lives of fans. In addition to Swift, celebrities such as Serena Williams, Adele, Zac Efron, and others have been open with fans in recent years about how comments about their bodies online have impacted them.

While everyone has good and bad days when it comes to body image, negative feelings about your body that persist are worth examining closer, Pashby said.

Internalized bias about weight can contribute to “the development and exacerbation of disordered eating, body image concerns, depression, anxiety, avoidance of physical activity, and more,” she said.

But with the right support, she added that adjusting body image and mindset is possible, but the sooner someone intervenes, the better.

Try to “hack” social media algorithms for good by curating your social media to support a healthy body image. Ensure that, online, a range of body shapes and sizes are represented in your feed, Pashby said.

“If not, unfollow some, and seek out and follow others to make a more varied group of body shapes and sizes appear,” she said.

In general, unsubscribe from any content that makes you feel bad about yourself or prompts you to constantly think about food, exercise, or your body.

People who “encourage you to follow [a] meal plan that feels restrictive, or exercise in extreme ways—they are not doing you any favors when it comes to having a healthier relationship with your body,” said Engelhart.

Unfollowing accounts that post about body or food in unrealistic or unhealthy ways will also hopefully deter them from making more of that content going forward, added Pashby.

It’s smart to make sure your own posts are promoting healthy body image, too.

“Posts about weight, weight loss, body shape, body size, and eating habits can be danger zones, so tread lightly,” Pashby said.

Building a healthy relationship with your body takes practice, said Pashby. Practice not criticizing your own body or others’ bodies, but know that your body image may not improve overnight.

“Unfortunately, my experience as a psychologist has made me think it doesn’t just ‘happen’ for most people growing up in the U.S.,” she said. “Those who do have a healthy body relationship have often worked hard at challenging the diet culture in our society.”

Rather than focusing on the aspects of your body that you don’t like, point out and show gratitude for all the things your body does every day.

“Noticing that your legs helped you get to work, that your arms let you hug those you love, your brain helped you focus on your recent exam—these can all contribute to a healthier relationship with your body,” said Engelhart.

The longer negative body image is left unchallenged, the harder it is to change, said Pashby.

Reach out to a mental health professional if you have negative thoughts about your body shape or size, make extreme changes to the way you eat or exercise, or are unable to engage in social, academic, or professional activities due to body image concerns. Engelhart said feeling guilty after eating or feeling anxious about meeting friends for a meal can also be signs that something is wrong.

Doctors, therapists, or dietitians who specialize in eating disorders can help offer support, Engelhart added.