Formosa Journal of Science and Technology (FJST)
Vol.3, No.8, 2024: 1935-1954
1935
(
ISSN-E: 2964-6804
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/fjst.v3i8.10862
https://journal.formosapublisher.org/index.php/fjst
Digital Empowerment: Transformation of Women's Body
Display Norms in the Age of Social Media
Ali Bai
1
, Morteza Vahedian
2
, Hassan Hessari
3*
, Mohammad Bai
4
, Rashin
Ghahreman
5
, Hasan Piri
6
1
Wilson College of Business, University of Northern Iowa
2,6
Department of Sociology, College of Humanities, University of Kashan
3
Department of Business Information Technology, Pamplin College of Business,
Virginia Tech
4
Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran
5
College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University
Corresponding Author: Hassan Hessari, hassanhessari@vt.edu
A R T I C L E I N F O R E A B S T R A C T
Keywords: Digital
Empowerment, Social
Media, Body display,
Physical capital, Self-
manifestation, Identity
Construction
Received: 12, July
Revised: 26, July
Accepted: 28, August
©2024 Bai, Vahedian, Hessari,
Bai, Ghahreman, Piri: This is
an open-access article
distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International.
The increasing prominence of body display on
social media has transformed how women engage
with self-presentation and identity construction.
This study examines the role of digital platforms,
particularly Instagram, in reshaping norms
surrounding body image and physical capital.
Through 29 in-depth interviews, the research
explores how women navigate digital spaces to
express their identities, often challenging
traditional societal expectations. Social media
provides a unique environment where users can
both display and reconfigure their physical
appearance, empowering women to redefine their
self-image. However, the freedom offered by
these platforms also introduces challenges, such
as heightened body dissatisfaction and mental
health concerns, driven by the pressures of online
visibility and comparison.