Diet culture and Instagram: A feminist exploration of perceptions and experiences among young women in the midwest of Ireland
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2020Author
O’Shea, Laura
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O’Shea, Laura. (2020). Diet culture and Instagram: A feminist exploration of perceptions and experiences among young women in the midwest of Ireland. Dearcadh: Graduate Journal of Gender, Globalisation and Rights, 1. doi:https://doi.org/10.13025/64p6-3p21
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Abstract
This article provides a feminist exploration of the perceptions and
experiences of diet culture on Instagram among young women in the Midwest of
Ireland. It discusses why young women continue to engage with diet culture and how
it has translated to Instagram. This research was conducted through qualitative semistructured interviews. Eight women between the ages of 18-30 living in the Midwest
of Ireland were interviewed in this study. Through engaging with feminist research
methods and utilising a feminist lens, this research prioritises the female voice in
social research. It is revealed that the women interviewed perceive and experience
diet culture on Instagram in various ways but overall it has a negative influence on
their wellbeing. This article highlights this issue as a gendered side effect of social
media that is inherently harmful to women. It generates new knowledge of this issue
in the Irish context and identifies further areas of research.