Picture Perfect

Abstract

Perfectionistic self-presentation (the desire to appear perfect to others) is related to decreased body satisfaction and intrusive (e.g., addictive or problematic) social media use in young women. Instagram, a highly visual social media platform, may serve as a medium for heightened body image concerns among this population. Exploring perfectionistic self-presentation on Instagram, by examining the extent to which women promote a perfect image on Instagram (perfectionistic self-promotion) and avoid presenting an imperfect image on Instagram (non-display of imperfection and non-disclosure of imperfection), may help to further understand its role in these issues. To test this idea, we recruited two non-clinical samples of young women (Sample 1: cross-sectional, N = 392; Sample 2: two-wave longitudinal, N = 176) to examine the relationships between perfectionistic self-presentation on Instagram, Instagram intrusion and body satisfaction. Findings revealed that dimensions of perfectionistic self-presentation on Instagram were negatively associated with body satisfaction, both cross-sectionally and over time and positively associated with Instagram intrusion, cross-sectionally. Non-display of imperfection appeared to be the most important dimension. Overall, our findings offer initial support for examining perfectionistic self-presentation on Instagram, and its utility in understanding the body satisfaction of young women.