#NoFilter | Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Spring 2016 | Thesis adviser: Adam Saffer | Honors level: With Highest Honors
#NoFilter: An Investigation of Fitness Microcelebrities' Portrayals of Body Image, Gender and Race on Instagram
by Kylee Wooten '16
The purpose of this study is to analyze the content of racially and ethnically diverse male and female fitness microcelebrities’ Instagram accounts to better understand the presentation portrayal of a fit, ideal body to the public. His/her self-presentation through photographs and captions will be analyzed through traditional gender norms, as identified by previous research conducted by Erving Goffman (1959) and Levant et al. (1992). The studies stemming from these scholars show the prevalence in which personal brands reflect and influence the trends of the ideal body of the man and woman, and the attitudes men and women of different racial backgrounds may face towards those images. Prior research investigating body image in the context of gender and race, as well as social media similarities and differences in the type of content male and female-run accounts display on their accounts will provide a deeper insight into these topics.
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The Hussman School Honors Program is available to students wishing to pursue an original and substantial research or creative project under direct supervision of a faculty adviser during their senior year. Learn more at mj.unc.edu/Honors.