Among those who make New Year's resolutions, data from Statista shows 48% of Americans want to exercise more, followed closely by eating healthier at 45% and losing weight at 31%.
Many fitness beginners turn to online advice for exercising, dieting and wellness. About 71% of Generation Z say they use TikTok for fitness advice, while 54% of people use YouTube and 37% use Instagram.
However, for women, online fitness and wellness culture can be confusing and toxic because of the spread of misinformation. Women’s fitness spaces push unhealthy diets, contradictory workout advice and unattainable beauty standards, making it into one of the most damaging places on the internet.
At the core of this problem is fitness influencers who pose as professionals. Unlike influencers in China, who are required to hold a degree in the important subjects they discuss like finance, health and law online, U.S. fitness influencers face virtually no accountability.
A study by BioMed Central found nearly two-thirds of fitness influencers “lacked credibility or contained potentially harmful or unhealthy content,” making them unreliable for women looking to become healthier.
Fitness is fairly simple for men – lift heavy and eat healthy. For women, it’s infinitely more complicated, tangled with social expectations toward our appearance, thinness and beauty standards. Men are encouraged to be strong, while women are encouraged to shrink themselves.
Because women are disproportionately affected by eating disorders, fitness elements like tracking calories, diet restrictions and “no pain, no gain” mentalities, it can turn fitness into an unhealthy experience, sometimes even detrimental to women’s long-term mental and physical health. Dieting tactics like “skipping meals, fasting … binge eating, regular use of diuretics or laxatives (and) excessive exercising” can all cause disordered eating, and “25-30% of dieters will develop a full-blown eating disorder at some point.”
Additionally, a study published in the PubMed Central journal focusing on the impact of following social media influencers found women who followed fitness creators had “significantly higher scores on ED symptoms and body dissatisfaction” compared to those who followed other types of influencers.
Influencers even use an aggressive or punishment-based approach to fitness, normalizing phrases like, “pain is weakness leaving the body,” or the idea women must work out to earn their next meal. These messages strengthen the belief that women must punish their bodies to deserve nourishment. Given women’s higher risk for disordered eating, these motivational tactics can shift to obsession, increasing the risk of long-term mental and physical health issues.
Fitness influencers are often dishonest about their diets, workouts and progress, presenting their lives like every meal is healthy and every workout is perfect. This makes progress seem linear and effortless for viewers. This illusion is entirely false and can discourage those whose fitness journeys include rest days, bad workouts and slow progress, all of which are normal.
Similarly, female fitness influencers refuse to acknowledge external factors that can make fitness challenging, including “genetics, metabolism, medications, age and even stress and hormonal imbalances.” Fitness influencers often brag about their work ethic and commitment, while behind the scenes, they may have eating disorders, use weight loss drugs or have gone under the knife to attain a look.
Fitness influencers also frequently change the beauty standard. Just 10 years ago, the goal was a “curvy hourglass aesthetic,” but is now shifting to the “slimmed-down [and] minimalist physique,” of a Pilates body.
Don’t be fooled, Pilates is not “superior” to other forms of exercise, despite what some influencers argue. Pilates is designed for longevity, not weight loss and those who say Pilates will transform your body were already thin to begin with.
The American Heart Association’s tips for fitness and wellness are straightforward-- make exercising a part of your daily routine, take it slow and choose a form of exercise that works for you.
Women deserve fitness guidance that supports healthy habits without comparison, shame and obsession. Since fitness advice is still largely “based on male biology and overlooks the hormonal shifts women experience,” it’s important to find female fitness influencers who are qualified, honest and uplifting. The right guidance and role models can make a huge difference in reaching your fitness goals.
Abby Shriver is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Abby about their column? Email them at as064024@ohio.edu
