A longitudinal study on the relationships between social media ideals exposure and thin-ideal internalization, social appearance anxiety, and cosmetic surgery consideration

The relationship between social media use, particularly exposure to idealized female images, and body image has been extensively examined through cross-sectional and experimental studies. However, further investigation is needed to explore the bidirectional relationship between them using longitudinal methods. This study examined the reciprocal relationships between social media ideals exposure and three different body image components - thin-ideal internalization, social appearance anxiety, and cosmetic surgery consideration, using a longitudinal design. A total sample of 406 Chinese female undergraduates (aged 17–24 years, M_age = 19.44, SD = 1.17) completed the baseline measurements, of whom 308 (aged 17–23 years, M_age = 19.29, SD = 1.05) completed the 6-month follow-up measurements. An integrated cross-lagged model showed that baseline social media ideals exposure (SMIE) was positively associated with 6-month follow-up cosmetic surgery consideration, baseline thin-ideal internalization was positively associated with 6-month follow-up SMIE, and baseline social appearance anxiety was negatively associated with 6-month follow-up SMIE; the reverses of the above associations were not significant. The study provided new insights into the reciprocal relationships between social media ideals exposure and different body image components.