Body perception is influenced by the socio-historical context, which, primarily through media discourse, creates and reproduces bodily beauty ideals. Today, this happens mainly through social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. At the forefront are two competing ideals striving for hegemony: “fitspiration”, which idealizes a slim, athletic, and fit body that is believed to reflect strict discipline and a healthy lifestyle, and “body positivity”, which promotes acceptance of bodies regardless of appearance and size. The aim of this thesis is to answer the question of how representatives of the »body positivity« movement shape their discourse on social media in relation to “fitspiration”. A critical discourse analysis of ten posts by three influencers on TikTok revealed that they directly respond to “fitspiration” by criticizing its orientation toward reshaping the body according to dominant societal expectations. The influencers’ discourse is strongly gender-marked. It is created by women and primarily addresses women, while other gender identities are only marginally present. An intersectional dimension (race, age, sexual orientation) is present but remains in the background, as the main emphasis is placed on physical appearance and beauty. Class and feminist reflection are also absent, which is why the discourse does not transcend the framework of bodily attractiveness but instead inadvertently contributes to the objectification of women’s bodies. TikTok thus emerges as a space where the hegemony of bodily ideals is constantly (re)produced, with privileged voices prevailing.
|
