To date, there has been ample evidence showing the influence of media (e.g., magazines, TV) on body image and eating behaviors. Often being blamed for glorifying unrealistic body ideals for men and women, media may link to body and weight concerns (e.g., Anorexia Nervosa), and eating disorders directly or indirectly.

There have been continuous changes in media, and wide diffusion of new media technologies (e.g., SNS mobile apps). Consequently, the amount, content, and the way in which people consume and use media has been shifting and evolving. There is a strong need to revisit the relationship between media, body image, and eating behaviors in the contemporary new media environment. Despite an increased number of studies on new media and body image, existing research has mainly focused on prominent Western social media such as Instagram and Facebook and neglected social media platforms in other cultures (e.g., Asian).

The present research topic aims to clarify the relationships between new media, body image, and eating behaviors. We welcome studies from diversified cultures, using various methodological approaches. New media includes, but is not limited to, Twitter, WeChat, Microblog, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Recent research has been expanded to encompass a positive perspective on body image and eating behaviors (e.g., body appreciation as a type of positive body image, and intuitive eating as a type of adaptive eating behavior). Thus, innovative research is expected to reflect the evolving new media landscape, different populations of new media users, and a more dialectic perspective on body image and eating behaviors.

We welcome quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research. We welcome a range of article types (i.e., Mini Review, Original Research, Protocols, Perspective, Review), provided that the submissions are in scope for this Research Topic.

Contributions from intersecting disciplines as well as integrated teams of researchers and clinicians are encouraged. The topics we wish to explore include (but are not limited to):

• Research linking new media to negative body image (e.g., body dissatisfaction and body shame).

• Research linking new media to positive body image (e.g., body appreciation and body functionality appreciation).

• Research linking new media to disordered eating behaviors (e.g., binge eating) and adaptive eating behaviors (e.g., intuitive eating).

• Research about the trilateral relationships among new media, body image, and eating behaviors.

• Research linking traditional media to body image and/or eating behaviors are also welcomed, as long as the research fills an important gap.

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Frontiers in Psychology

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