UVM Research links Taylor Swift’s celebrity appeal to her fans’ positive body image

Taylor Swift performs during the “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at the National Stadium in Singapore on March 2, 2024. (Photo by Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

A new study by researchers at the University of Vermont shows that Taylor Swift’s inclusion of body image issues in her work has had an overall positive impact on her fans.

Researchers analyzed over 8,000 online comments on top Tiktok and Reddit posts about Taylor Swift, eating disorders, and other related topics to determine the influence Swift has on her fan base.

Lizzy Pope, associate professor in UVM’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science and registered dietitian, said, “Our findings suggest that fans who felt a strong connection to Swift were influenced by Swift’s revelations and messages in her music to positively change their behavior or attitudes toward food or body image.”

Many of Swift’s songs and her 2020 film “Miss Americana” reference or directly involve her personal journey with body image issues. As researchers found, her work challenged norms that perpetuate societal expectations of diet culture.

“Fans seemed to be inspired by the fact that Swift had overcome her eating disorder and seemed to be doing well afterward,” noted Kelsey Rose, a clinical assistant professor at UVM and a registered dietitian specializing in the treatment of eating disorders.

Yet despite Swift’s overall positive impact, many fans still objectify Swift’s body even as they praise her.

Pope said, “Even though Swift says in Miss Americana, ‘I’m so sick of being objectified and it drove me to an eating disorder,’ fans still commented on her body. Even though it was meant positively, fans still commented, which means they didn’t fully internalize her message: ‘Please stop commenting on people’s bodies.'”

Her Eras Tour currently consists of dancers with diverse body shapes. Researchers say this type of research, action and influence can have greater positive impacts on society.

“Taylor Swift can do more to change attitudes with a few sentences than we can in our entire careers,” Pope continued. “That’s why it’s important to study people who have such an impact. There’s little doubt that if Swift chooses to be one, she can be a powerful voice for health, wellness and more weight-conscious practices that could bring society closer to the idea of ​​body liberation.”

Pope and Rose’s research is available online, as are other UVM studies linking social media, harmful diets and body image issues.