About us

We aim to: 

  • unite expert knowledge from a variety of different fields in order to look into body image, eating disorders and technology from a multidisciplinary perspective.
  • deliver content that goes beyond academia, e.g. offer applicable approaches.
  • contribute to research on social media and on positive body image.
  • work out future research priorities.

Why we study this topic:

Body image concerns are a global issue that affects people regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality or their looks. Body dissatisfaction can have a negative impact on overall life satisfaction and on physical and mental health.

Over the past decade, much research has linked social media use, and especially photo-based activities with idealised pictures, to negative body image. Recent studies however show that social media engagement with body positive content can trigger improvements in mood and body appreciation.

Social media thus is a controversial virtual space, where users engage with visual and textual appearance-related messages every day, which can have complex impacts on their life. 

Watch this video we produced recently for insight into how young users feel about social media.  

Our research explores many of the same questions: how young people feel when using social media, how they present themselves, how much they compare to others while on social media, and how much they trust what they see online.

Our Portfolio

We are a team of experts including academics, clinicians and body image activists.