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Taylor Swift's positive attitude to body image has helped fans recover from eating disorders, study finds
Taylor Swift isn't just a pop superstar, she could also be helping 'Swifties' combat eating disorders, a study suggests.
American researchers claim fans' 'parasocial' relationship with the global sensation, combined with Swift's openness and references to eating disorders and body image in her work, helped create this effect.
Experts came to their conclusion after analysing 200 social media posts about the popstar as well as more than 8,000 comments from fans discussing her, eating disorders, and body image.
In contrast to other celebs, they found Swift's open disclosures about her own struggles with eating and body image had reduced stigma and helped inspire fans' recovery.
Swift famously discussed struggling with her perception of her weight and the standards of physical beauty women face more generally in her documentary Miss Americana, released in 2020.
Taylor Swift isn't just a pop superstar, she could also be helping 'Swifties' combat eating disorders, a study suggests. Swift is pictured earlier this month on her Eras Tour in Switzerland
American researchers claim fans' 'parasocial' relationship with the global sensation, combined with Swift's openness and references to eating disorders and body image in her work, help create this effect
She recalled when looking at photos of herself she would 'feel like I looked like my tummy was too big, or...someone said that I looked pregnant and that'll just trigger me to just starve a little bit – just stop eating'.
Swift added: 'If you're thin enough, then you don't have that ass that everybody wants.'
'But if you have enough weight on you to have an ass, your stomach isn't flat enough. It's all just f***ing impossible.'
In 2022, she also sparked headlines after the music video of her newly released song 'Anti-Hero' saw Swift step on a set of scales which says 'fat' as her alter ego reprimands her.
Researchers, who examined online discourse by Swift's fans on these issues, said their evidence suggested she had motivated them to change harmful behaviours.
One comment analysed by the researchers, from the University of Vermont, detailed how Swift's comments on eating disordesr had a profound effect on them.
'After watching her Miss Americana documentary I was at a loss for words', the comment read.
'I have struggled with a horrible eating disorder for a few years now,' it added.
'To hear that Taylor had the same thoughts and the same problems as me and so many other people, was so validating and so inspiring...I can honestly say if I didn't have her inspiration I wouldn't be where I am today, I wouldn't be in recovery.
'So thank you Taylor Swift, for helping me and I am sure hundreds of other people fight and get better. You are an inspiration and the best role model anyone could ask for.'
Another fan with an eating disorder specifically writing about Swift's song 'You're On Your Own Kid' wrote: 'I think this song is the most important one she's ever written.
They continued: 'It's just so comforting to know that someone as famous as Taylor went through these kinds of battles and now ensures her fans that we can indeed face this'.
Study co-author Lizzy Pope, a dietitian from Vermont, said: 'Our findings suggest that fans who felt highly connected to Swift were influenced to positively change their behaviours or attitudes around eating or their body image because of Swift's disclosures and messages in her music'.
Fellow co-author and dietitian Kelsey Rose, also of Vermont, added: 'Fans seemed to take inspiration from the fact that Swift had recovered from disordered eating and subsequently appeared to be thriving.'
Swift sparked headlines in 2022 when the music video of her song 'Anti-Hero' featured a moment where she steps on a set of scales which says 'fat'
She eventually removed the segment after fans took to social media to brand the singer 'fatphobic'
The authors said their findings contrast with the results of previous research suggesting celebrities, and media coverage about their bodies, can trigger body image issues and eating disorders, especially in young women.
However, publishing their findings in the journal Social Science & Medicine, they added that fan's interactions with Swift's body image wasn't always entirely positive.
They highlighted how fans would still comment on their idol's body, such as 'she's gained weight, she looks so happy and healthy now', objectifying her body in a different way.
Researchers also noted how Swift's famous 'Anti-Hero' video had prompted some fans to accuse her of 'anti-fat' bias, providing another element of discourse on body image within the community fascinated by her.
Swift, while not addressing the controversy directly, did change the video to remove the word 'fat' appearing on the scale.
In a statement accompanying the study Ms Pope and Ms Rose said they had been inspired to explore the impact Swift had on eating disorders and body image by seeing students idolising her.
The experts said their study had a number of limitations, including no demographic information of the users behind the social media posts and comments they analysed.
They also said they only analysed posts and comments made in English, meaning it was unclear if the results would be similar among fans who spoke different languages.
Charities estimate 1.25 million Brits have an eating disorder, the vast majority (75 per cent) being female.
This figure rises to 29million in the US, about a tenth of the entire population.