The ‘Summer Body’ Spam Begins
And so it begins — while we wait with baited breath to see if the UK will be blessed with temperatures akin to the Summer of ’18, it’s that time of year we’re being bombarded with reminders about our summer bodies. All the reality TV stars who need to fund their trip to Marbs pop up promoting quick fix products and diets to get us beach-body ready. I’m all for doing what we want to feel confident in a bikini; but there seems to be even more pressure now we pap everything ‘for the gram’.
There were two stories relevant to this in the media over the last few months which got me thinking. The first reported an increase in eating disorders over the last year. Reading the article you realise there are a number of bigger factors at play here not just social media influencers; but it does highlight the need for the likes of Instagram to crack down on harmful content. The second was based on research that highlighted how 8 out of 9 influencers were giving out inaccurate dietary advice. Now I apply the same cynicism to taking diet advice from an influencer as I do the media, but given the research was conducted by a reputable university the story was covered in multiple national papers.
While it’s a sorry state of affairs that research funding is being spent on dispelling influencers, if it helps even a handful of young, impressionable people dismiss bullshit advice then it is money well spent in my opinion. Especially as the NHS is crippled enough tackling obesity, and the first article shows it is already struggling to pick up the pieces of another industry capitalising on our insecurities.
So who is to be held responsible and should restrictions be put in place? Is it the influencers who have a duty to their followers, the businesses creating the products or the people who follow advice from someone that is unqualified? We can source recommendations online for pretty much anything but should we apply this, especially when it comes to something as important as our health? I’m very much of the belief that it is our responsibility to seek out advice; assess its validity, and ultimately our decision if we choose to implement it.
There are a lot of unqualified numpties out there promoting extreme diets to make themselves some dollar but we should wake up and take some responsibility if we fall for this crap. The name “influencer” kind of gives it away — using their channels to influence or promote to their audience. It’s advertising but for some reason we think, because it’s social media, it should hold more authenticity. Oh, the irony. Despite the filtering, curating and perfecting, social media personas seem more relatable when the reality is it’s a new breed of celebrity endorsement and magazine airbrushing — now available to everyone with a smartphone.
If (like me) you bought L’Oréal shampoo expecting hair like Jennifer Anniston you are dumb. Just the same that you can follow someone’s diet and exercise plan to a tee, you will NEVER have the same body as them — louder for the people at the back! The way our body responds to food, exercise and stress will forever be unique to us. Those endorsing detox teas (aka laxatives), waist trainers and cling film wraps are not worth any part of this word count. The sooner people realise and accept this, the less time will be wasted in dwelling over an unattainable ideal and money spent on shit products that do nothing for your body nor your self-esteem.
I’ll back up a bit because having had this conversation with friends they reminded me a lot is to do with age and experience. We are now wise enough to see through the nonsense. I personally made a lot of diet and training mistakes; notably from following fads or the wrong people. I also know that fat loss and transforming your body is not an easy feat. And I will fully disclaim that comes from someone who is naturally slim, never struggled with being overweight and has used fat loss for fitness competitions. I can understand the appeal of simple products that claim to make the process super easy. In a world where we can order a date, our dinner or dry cleaning at the click of a button, we’re willing there to be a quick-fix product to the body of our dreams.
Where does this leave the younger, impressionable teenagers who look to celebrities and influencers as role models? Advertising in the digital world has, and will continue to blur the rules of traditional media. Only in the last two years has the Advertising Standards Association enforced stricter regulations to ensure transparency when someone is being paid to promote a product.
But more needs to be done. If there is information related to health and diet that is incorrect and potentially harmful then shouldn’t we apply the same the restrictions we have around fast food and high sugar drinks? Ensuring that it’s not targeted to a young audience who are more susceptible to be influenced. It would be possible to restrict companies to only target audiences in a certain age bracket (as an alcohol brand has to), but it’s pretty much impossible to police that for individual influencers. As of yet, they can’t segment their audience so only those mature enough can see specific content.
We can only hope that policymakers, brands and platforms come up with prevention tactics rather than the usual procedure of slapping a plaster on it when the damage has already been done.
For now, it is up to us to apply some common sense when scrolling — making sure we are looking for credentials beyond a blue tick, millions of followers and a banging bod.
