Downward dog becomes fit body, inc.: A content analysis of 40 years of female cover images of Yoga Journal

Webb, Jennifer B.; Vinoski, Erin; Warren‐Findlow, Jan; Burrell, Marlene I.; Putz, Davina Y.

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.07.001

Cited by 32 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Body image is defined as the "picture we have in our minds of the size, shape and form of our bodies; and our feelings concerning these characteristics …" ( [1], p. 20). Body image disturbance is associated with psychosocial impairment and is assumed to be a crucial factor in the development [2,3], maintenance [4] and relapse [5] of eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, it has been acknowledged that the sociocultural ideal of physical attractiveness in women is shifting away from a very thin body ideal toward an athletic, ultra-fit body ideal [18][19][20]. This athletic ideal is characterized by low body fat and toned, physically fit muscles, and women have been found to rate other females' bodies as more attractive when they are both thin and muscular as opposed to purely thin [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity – Female Bodies

et al. 2020

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Background Despite evidence that thinness and muscularity are part of the female body ideal, there is not yet a reliable figure rating scale measuring the body image of women which includes both of these dimensions. To overcome this shortcoming, the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity - Female Bodies (BIMTM-FB) was developed. Methods The objective of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of this measure. N = 607 non-clinical women and N = 32 women with eating disorders answered the BIMTM-FB as well as instruments assessing eating disorder symptoms and body image disturbance in order to test the convergent validity of the BIMTM-FB. To assess test-retest reliability, a two-week interval was determined. Results The results indicated that the body-fat dimension of the BIMTM-FB correlates significantly with the Contour Drawing Rating-Scale, the Drive for Leanness Scale (DLS) and the Body Appreciation Scale, while the muscularity dimension of the BIMTM-FB was significantly associated with the DLS and the Drive for Muscularity Scale, proving the convergent validity of the BIMTM-FB. High coefficients of test-retest reliability were found. Moreover, the BIMTM-FB differentiated between the clinical sample and the non-clinical controls. Conclusions The BIMTM-FB is a figure rating scale assessing both thinness and muscularity as part of the female body ideal. Due to its high reliability and validity, the BIMTM-FB can be recommended in research and practice.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity – Female Bodies

et al. 2020

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“…The predominant manner in which female yoga practitioners are portrayed in the media is similar to that in the larger society, in other words, in a narrow manner that promotes thinness and equates thinness with health (Webb, Vinoski, Warren-Findlow, Burrell, & Putz, 2017; Webb, Vinoski, Warren-Findlow, Padro, et al, 2017). For example, in a content analysis of 139 covers of Yoga Journal, a leading yoga magazine for the public, just one model was coded as having a body mass index (BMI) above 25 and only 2.4% were coded as curvaceous (Webb, Vinoski, Warren-Findlow, Burrell, et al, 2017; Webb, Vinoski, Warren-Findlow, Padro, et al, 2017). This narrow focus could, inadvertently, decrease the benefits of practicing yoga on body image, particularly among practitioners whose body does not fit the cultural ideal for thinness or the image being portrayed most predominantly in the yoga media.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yoga and body image: How do young adults practicing yoga describe its impact on their body image?

2018

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This study explored the perceived impact of yoga on body image. Young adults (n = 34 female, 12 male; Mage = 30.6 [SD = 1.6]) practicing yoga were interviewed and data were analyzed for emerging themes across weight status. In general, participants discussed the positive impact of yoga on their body image, but some described both a positive and negative impact. Yoga was perceived as having a positive impact on body image via perceived physical changes, gratitude for one’s body, a sense of accomplishment within one’s yoga practice, self-confidence, and witnessing different types of bodies practicing yoga. Yoga was perceived to have a negative impact on body image via comparative critique (e.g., upward comparisons with others) and inner critique (e.g., negative self-talk). Themes were generally similar across weight status; exceptions were that participants at higher weight status were more likely than those at lower weight status to discuss accomplishment within one’s yoga practice as a positive impact on body image and comparative critique as a negative impact on body image. Yoga studios and instructors can take steps to further enhance the positive impact of yoga and to provide environments that are inclusive of participants with diverse body shapes and sizes.

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“…This article examines how general interest magazines oriented toward a female readership not only have appropriated yoga for commodified and consumerist Western culture but also have shaped (so to speak) female identity in ways that establish narrow ideals for women’s bodies and female identity. Mediated images of the idealized thin, female “yoga body” have become the norm, a “direct consequence of its widespread popularity and increasing adoption of media-driven appearance-focused exercise and ﬁtness” frames (Webb et al, 2017, p. 130; see also Horton & Harvey, 2012). Using the lens of media framing, this article studies the role of contemporary popular women’s magazines in objectifying women as part of yoga’s increasing commodification.…”

Section: Context: Yoga Commodification and Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Related studies have examined other types of magazines and magazine content. Two recent precursors to this study focus on one-page advertisements (Vinoski et al., 2017) and cover images (Webb et al., 2017) in a specialized magazine, Yoga Journal . Other recent studies focus on yoga’s commodification in the Western world more from legal perspectives (Vats, 2016) and as “branded fitness” (Powers & Greenwell, 2017, p. 523) but do not interrogate media representation or framing as the focus for research.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yoga and Female Objectification: Commodity and Exclusionary Identity in U.S. Women’s Magazines

Bhalla

Moscowitz

2019

Journal of Communication Inquiry

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Using textual and visual media framing analysis, this research examines contemporary depictions of yoga in U.S. general interest women’s magazines. Critique of narrative and images from three leading magazines demonstrates how the representation of yoga depicts and positions tropes of female objectification that reify values of commodity, consumerism, and divisive exclusionary identity. Narrative and images dominated by bodies of slim, White, upper-class women perpetuate not only the commodification of yoga but also media framing of its appropriation and negotiation to support a multimillion-dollar industry. Two threads of research dominate this study: (1) how do today’s media representations of yoga practice in the United States foster critical and cultural understanding in light of yoga’s long history, and (2) how does the objectification of women’s bodies in this context contribute to ongoing conversations about commodification, exclusion, and identity in contemporary media depictions of women?

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Downward dog becomes fit body, inc.: A content analysis of 40 years of female cover images of Yoga Journal

Cited by 32 publications

References 37 publications

Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity – Female Bodies

Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity – Female Bodies

Yoga and body image: How do young adults practicing yoga describe its impact on their body image?

Yoga and Female Objectification: Commodity and Exclusionary Identity in U.S. Women’s Magazines

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