Highly attractive fitness influencers may face 'beauty backfire effect'
Highly attractive fitness influencers may receive less engagement due to lower relatability, according to a new study.
Why it matters
- Challenges the idea that "sex sells" in influencer marketing.
- Highlights the importance of relatability for audience engagement.
By the numbers
- Study involved nearly 300 adults in the first experiment.
- Multiple experiments were conducted to test the "beauty backfire effect."
The big picture
- Fitfluencers rely on their physical appearance for credibility.
- Relatability is crucial for engagement and may outweigh attractiveness.
- Findings suggest that humble messaging can bridge the relatability gap for highly attractive influencers.
What they're saying
- Some commenters note that highly attractive influencers may seem less relatable or trustworthy.
- Attractiveness can affect perceptions in various contexts, not just fitness.
Caveats
- Study used Western beauty norms, which may not generalize across cultures.
- Personal characteristics and demographics may influence perceptions.
What’s next
- Further research could explore different cultural representations of beauty.
- More studies could examine how personal characteristics affect perceptions of relatability and engagement.