The Impact of Social References on Adolescents’ Body Satisfaction: Healthy and Aesthetic Perspectives

Abstract

Adolescents construct body perceptions through a dynamic interplay of familial expectations, peer reinforcement, and influencer-curated ideals. This study maps the shifting impact of these social references by surveying Spanish adolescents (ages 12–17) on their perceptions of what constitutes a healthy versus an aesthetic body. Statistical analyses reveal that parents primarily influence health-related ideals by modeling care and well-being, whereas influencers dictate aspirational aesthetics, amplifying digital beauty norms through hyper-visibility and algorithmic reinforcement. Gendered patterns emerge: girls engage more frequently in peer comparison and seek validation through influencer content, while boys tend to emphasize functional and performance-based attributes, often modeled by adult figures such as teachers and coaches. Notably, adolescents who focus on influencers when constructing their body ideals report lower body satisfaction, indicating the cyclical nature of aspirational distress in digital environments. These findings underscore the growing dissonance between health-oriented and appearancebased body ideals, illustrating how diverse social references contribute to body dissatisfaction through distinct but intersecting mechanisms of influence.