A new study from University of Vermont (UVM) researchers shows that Taylor Swift’s openness about her past struggles with body image and disordered eating has largely positively influenced her fans’ attitudes on these issues. The research, published in Social Science & Medicine, analyzed the top 200 TikTok and Reddit posts, including over 8,300 online comments, about Swift, eating disorders, and body image.
Associate Prof. Lizzy Pope of UVM’s Nutrition and Food Sciences Department states, “Our findings suggest that fans who felt highly connected to Swift were influenced to positively change their behaviors or attitudes around eating or their body image because of Swift’s disclosures and messages in her music.”
The study found that fans often saw Swift as a role model for eating disorder recovery, using her story or art to inspire their own recoveries. Swift’s transparency has helped decrease stigma around eating disorders among her fans, which is crucial as shame can decrease help-seeking behaviors and negatively impact health outcomes.
The Power of Celebrity Influence
Swift’s candid discussions about her struggles with disordered eating, body image, and body objectification in her 2020 film, Miss Americana, and references in her songs have had a significant impact. These disclosures are unique in that they challenge societal norms that perpetuate diet culture, which can be driven by celebrity culture.
Kelsey Rose, a UVM Clinical Assistant Professor specializing in eating disorder treatment, adds, “Fans seemed to take inspiration from the fact that Swift had recovered from disordered eating and subsequently appeared to be thriving.”
However, the study also revealed some complexities in fan responses. Despite Swift’s positive influence, fans often continued to objectify her body, and there was conflicted discourse regarding Swift’s artistic decision to display the word “fat” on a scale in her “Anti-Hero” video.
Challenges in Changing Perceptions
Even when praising Swift, fans sometimes perpetuated harmful ideas about thinness. Pope explains, “Although in Miss Americana Swift says I’m so sick of being objectified, and it’s driven me to disordered eating, the fans were still commenting on her body. Even if it was meant to be positive, fans would still comment, which means that they didn’t completely internalize her message of, ‘please do not comment on people’s bodies anymore.'”
The study results show that while Swift’s public disclosure has empowered her fans, it also illustrates the limitations of individual disclosures in addressing broader systemic issues like anti-fat bias. Importantly, fans of all body sizes reported how Swift’s honesty had helped them with their own relationships with food and body image.
The researchers hope their findings might encourage Swift and other celebrities to use their influence on society more consciously. Pope states, “Taylor Swift can do more to change attitudes with a few sentences than we can do in our entire careers. So, it’s important to study people that have that kind of impact. There is little doubt that if she chooses to be, Swift can be a powerful voice for health, wellness and more weight-inclusive practices that may move society closer to the idea of body liberation.”
As Swift continues her Eras Tour with a body-diverse cast of dancers, challenging the idea that expert dancers only come in one body size, her influence on body image perceptions may continue to evolve. This research underscores the potential for celebrities to make significant positive impacts on societal attitudes towards body image and eating disorders.
