Online vs. in-person body talk: The effects of gender, context, and body talk type on frequency and body satisfaction

This study examines the differences in three types of body talk (fat talk, muscle talk, and positive body talk) by context (in-person and online) and gender (men and women). Data were collected using an online survey of 605 participants who completed self-report measures of body satisfaction, and fat talk, muscle talk, and positive body talk statements made in in-person conversations and posted in online social media posts. Results indicated that there was a positive relationship between the body talk that occurred in-person and online, which was stronger for men than women. In general, people were much more likely to engage in body talk in in-person contexts, rather than online contexts. Women were more likely than men to make fat talk statements and less likely to make positive body talk statements during in-person conversations; however, in online social media posts, men were more likely to make all three types of body talk statements than women. Finally, in-person body talk was more predictive of body satisfaction than the body talk statements posted online.