Baker, S.A.

Walsh, M.J.

English

Instagram is the world’s fastest growing social network site, with over 700 million accounts comprised of mostly young (18-29-year old), female users. Part of the app’s appeal is that it gives users a chance to experiment with self-presentation techniques and identify with different communities and movements online

Baker, Stephanie

Walsh, Michael

University of Canberra Research Repository

1/29/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 1/6AuthorsStephanie Alice BakerLecturer in Sociology, City, University ofLondonMichael James WalshAssistant Professor of Social Science,University of CanberraAcademic rigour, journalistic flairInstagram is the world’s fastest growing social network site, with over 700 millionaccounts comprised of mostly young (18-29-year old), female users. Part of the app’sappeal is that it gives users a chance to experiment with self-presentation techniquesand identify with different communities and movements online.One such movement is “clean eating”: embracing a diet comprised of foods perceivedto be “clean” and “pure”, such as unprocessed, unrefined, and nutrient-rich ones, typically eaten as small meals throughout the day. A relatively recent phenomenonused to promote blogs, cook books and exercise programs, the movement advocates aplant-based diet mostly free of red meat, gluten, sugar and alcohol.“Clean eating” has an underlying moral dimension elevating certain foods over thosedeemed to be dirty and impure. By default, those who do not subscribe to a “clean”diet and lifestyle are perceived to be of lower status.Read more: A dietitian puts extreme 'clean eating' claims to the test – and the results aren't prettyInstagram’s demographics - and the weight loss industry’s focus on women - might lead one to expectwomen would dominate “clean eating” posts, but our new study has found that men feature moreprominently in them.Most ‘clean eating’ posts on Instagram portrayed men engaging in muscle presentation to convey virile strength and power. ShutterstockHow men are embracing ‘clean eating’ posts on InstagramJune 20, 2018 6.19am AEST1/29/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 2/6We examined images categorised under the hashtags #cleaneating and #eatclean, looking at 144 topposts over eight days. We examined the nine highest ranking daily posts for each hashtag according tothe quantity of engagement (such as “likes”, comments) and the quality of it. The most surprisingfinding was the prevalence of men, with 68% of posts featuring male subjects.Clean eating posts on Instagram make a strong connection between lifestyle, gender and identity.Most of those depicted appear to be late teens or young adults. Images that achieved top post statusoverwhelmingly focused on individual bodies, rather than food.These posts subscribed to specific ideals of masculinity. Most portrayed men engaging in musclepresentation, with exaggerated displays of flexed arms and abdominal muscles to convey virilestrength and power. The muscular features of those depicted were accentuated through the use offraming, camera focus, filters and bodily positioning.Figure 1: Gender subjects featured in clean-eating top posts (frequency)1/29/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 3/6Often staged in a gym environment, these images emphasised the hard work involved in adopting a“clean” lifestyle. The hashtags accompanying them regularly featured the words “determination”,“motivation”, “healthy choices” and “no excuses”, feeding into narratives about health as an individualchoice and responsibility.justinmiller.flexScottsdale, ArizonaView ProfileView More on Instagram894 likesjustinmiller.flex8 weeks to get this back shreddy spaghetti. Let's see what my training regimen and diet cando! Message me or check my website for online training. Link in the bio.view all 12 commentsAdd a comment...1/29/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 4/6thewildexpNufitView ProfileView More on Instagram510 likesthewildexpMy quest to build a strong, lean and and injury free physique continues.How is your training going?1/29/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 5/6Diet Body image Instagram Masculinity Veganism Clean eatingPosts of this kind represent a form of hegemonic masculinity, where fortitude, athleticism andcompetitiveness are valued over other masculine forms. Despite the cultural connection between meat and masculinity, when framed in relation to individual health and the environment, clean eating andmeatless meals were presented as rational choices.The prevalence of masculine display in “clean eating” top posts also feeds into ideals of healthism: away of locating the problem of health and disease at the level of the individual rather than as a state orsocietal responsibility.The frequency with which men featured in clean eating top posts reveals not only the importance ofdiet and body image for men today, but the ways in which the diet industry and advertisingincreasingly targets men.Instagram has become a profitable enterprise, with bloggers using their image to influence others topurchase products and services. While there is an absence of overt advertising on Instagram, over halfof the images we analysed doubled as native advertising for weight loss programs, supplements andfood products. This was particularly the case with those images that focused on the body (for example,muscle presentation shots), with attractive bodies doubling as advertisements by feeding aspirationaldesires.For instance, one muscle presentation post was accompanied by the caption: “Make progress notexcuses. Make a change today and let me take your physique to the next level” - the image of amuscular man at the gym operating as an ad for a personal trainer.Despite the common assumption that social media allows for more fluid expressions of identity, ourresearch indicates the degree to which commercial interests infiltrate the platform.You might also likeview all 38 commentsAdd a comment... Activated charcoal doesn’t detox the body – four reasons you should avoid itDoes eating at night make you fat?1/29/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 6/6Five things parents can do to improve their children’s eating patternsHow a masculine culture that favors sexual conquests gave us today’s ‘incels’

How men are embracing ‘clean eating’ posts on Instagram

City Research Online

              City, University of London Institutional RepositoryCitation: Baker, S.A. ORCID: 0000-0002-4921-2456 and Walsh, M.J. (2018). How men are embracing ‘clean eating’ posts on Instagram. The Conversation, This is the published version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link:  https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/24053/Link to published version: Copyright and reuse: City Research Online aims to make research outputs of City, University of London available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the author(s) and/or copyright holders. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to.City Research Online:            http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/            publications@city.ac.ukCity Research Online4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 1/8AuthorsStephanie Alice BakerLecturer in Sociology, City, University ofLondonMichael James WalshAssistant Professor of Social Science,University of CanberraAcademic rigour, journalistic flairInstagram is the world’s fastest growing social network site, with over 700 millionaccounts comprised of mostly young (18-29-year old), female users. Part of the app’sappeal is that it gives users a chance to experiment with self-presentation techniquesand identify with different communities and movements online.One such movement is “clean eating”: embracing a diet comprised of foods perceivedto be “clean” and “pure”, such as unprocessed, unrefined, and nutrient-rich ones, typically eaten as small meals throughout the day. A relatively recent phenomenonused to promote blogs, cook books and exercise programs, the movement advocates aplant-based diet mostly free of red meat, gluten, sugar and alcohol.“Clean eating” has an underlying moral dimension elevating certain foods over thosedeemed to be dirty and impure. By default, those who do not subscribe to a “clean”diet and lifestyle are perceived to be of lower status.Make sense of the news. Read our experts in your inbox.Get the newsletterMost ‘clean eating’ posts on Instagram portrayed men engaging in muscle presentation to convey virile strength and power. ShutterstockHow men are embracing ‘clean eating’ posts on InstagramJune 19, 2018 9.19pm BST4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 2/8Read more: A dietitian puts extreme 'clean eating' claims to the test – and the results aren't prettyInstagram’s demographics - and the weight loss industry’s focus on women - might lead one to expectwomen would dominate “clean eating” posts, but our new study has found that men feature moreprominently in them.We examined images categorised under the hashtags #cleaneating and #eatclean, looking at 144 topposts over eight days. We examined the nine highest ranking daily posts for each hashtag according tothe quantity of engagement (such as “likes”, comments) and the quality of it. The most surprisingfinding was the prevalence of men, with 68% of posts featuring male subjects.Clean eating posts on Instagram make a strong connection between lifestyle, gender and identity.Most of those depicted appear to be late teens or young adults. Images that achieved top post statusoverwhelmingly focused on individual bodies, rather than food.These posts subscribed to specific ideals of masculinity. Most portrayed men engaging in musclepresentation, with exaggerated displays of flexed arms and abdominal muscles to convey virilestrength and power. The muscular features of those depicted were accentuated through the use offraming, camera focus, filters and bodily positioning.Figure 1: Gender subjects featured in clean-eating top posts (frequency)4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 3/8Often staged in a gym environment, these images emphasised the hard work involved in adopting a“clean” lifestyle. The hashtags accompanying them regularly featured the words “determination”,“motivation”, “healthy choices” and “no excuses”, feeding into narratives about health as an individualchoice and responsibility.justinmiller.flexScottsdale, ArizonaView ProfileView More on Instagram891 likesjustinmiller.flex8 weeks to get this back shreddy spaghetti. Let's see what my training regimen and dietcan do! Message me or check my website for online training. Link in the bio.view all 12 commentsAdd a comment...4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 4/8thewildexpNufitView ProfileView More on Instagram507 likesthewildexpMy quest to build a strong, lean and and injury free physique continues.How is your training going?4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 5/8Diet Body image Instagram Masculinity Veganism Clean eatingPosts of this kind represent a form of hegemonic masculinity, where fortitude, athleticism andcompetitiveness are valued over other masculine forms. Despite the cultural connection between meat and masculinity, when framed in relation to individual health and the environment, clean eating andmeatless meals were presented as rational choices.The prevalence of masculine display in “clean eating” top posts also feeds into ideals of healthism: away of locating the problem of health and disease at the level of the individual rather than as a state orsocietal responsibility.The frequency with which men featured in clean eating top posts reveals not only the importance ofdiet and body image for men today, but the ways in which the diet industry and advertisingincreasingly targets men.Instagram has become a profitable enterprise, with bloggers using their image to influence others topurchase products and services. While there is an absence of overt advertising on Instagram, over halfof the images we analysed doubled as native advertising for weight loss programs, supplements andfood products. This was particularly the case with those images that focused on the body (for example,muscle presentation shots), with attractive bodies doubling as advertisements by feeding aspirationaldesires.For instance, one muscle presentation post was accompanied by the caption: “Make progress notexcuses. Make a change today and let me take your physique to the next level” - the image of amuscular man at the gym operating as an ad for a personal trainer.Despite the common assumption that social media allows for more fluid expressions of identity, ourresearch indicates the degree to which commercial interests infiltrate the platform.Before you go...The coronavirus outbreak is causing confusion and panic, and misinformation isrife. For crystal clear explanations on everything you need to know about thepandemic, The Conversation is a global network drawing upon over 70,000experts to provide evidence-based advice on everything from facemasks to handwashing. If you want to support our brand of independent, not-for-profitjournalism, please consider a donation.Clint WitchallsHealth + Medicine Editorview all 38 commentsAdd a comment...Donate now4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 6/8You might also likeActivated charcoal doesn’t detox the body – four reasons you should avoid it4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 7/8Does eating at night make you fat?Five things parents can do to improve their children’s eating patterns4/18/2020 How men are embracing 'clean eating' posts on Instagramhttps://theconversation.com/how-men-are-embracing-clean-eating-posts-on-instagram-97923 8/8How a masculine culture that favors sexual conquests gave us today’s ‘incels’

https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/24053/1/Baker%20%26%20Walsh%20%282018%29%20How%20men%20are%20embracing%20%27clean%20eating%27%20posts%20on%20Instagram.pdf

How men are embracing ‘clean eating’ posts on Instagram

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