Purple Barbie: Social media, social contagion, and female TCU students’ co-construction of extreme beauty ideals and practices
Citations
Altmetric:
Soloist
Composer
Publisher
Date
2025-05-01
Additional date(s)
Abstract
This study aimed to expand on previous research linking women’s experience on social media with an emphasis on the modern landscape of extreme beauty trends. Specifically, this study focused on what was be defined as “extreme beauty behaviors”. Through five semi-structured focus groups, 21 TCU female-identifying college students were interviewed. This research and data were open coded, and schemas were collapsed into identifiable categories to be included in primary and second-cycle coding (Tracy, 2013). Several themes were yielded from the focus groups, which warranted in-depth discussion as they shed insights on future theoretical and practical advancement. These implications included: updating research on Two-Step Flow Theory to include the modern landscape of social media, focusing future research to understand the role of social contagion in the CMM process, and universities, and their affiliated clubs and organizations, more consistently address mental health and eating disorder support for female students.
Contents
Subject
Subject(s)
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Genre
Thesis
Description
Format
Department
Communications Studies