The Role of #Gymlife: Examining the Effects of the 'muscular Ideal' in Images Vs Short-Form Videos on Men's Attainability Perceptions, Self-Esteem, and Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparisons

We manipulated how social media depictions of muscular versus non-muscular body types in short-form videos versus images affect n= 160 men's (Mage=30.61) attainability perceptions, self-esteem, and social comparisons related to body image. Muscular content led to lower perceived attainability (p < .001), with no effect of medium type.