#Fitspo ‘is doing harm’

ONLINE fitness inspiration communities encouraging women to be fit rather than just thin can be harmful to women’s health, a study has found.

Fitspiration or “#fitspo” has more than 49 million images on the internet, many of which depict very thin yet muscular women working out or posting in revealing sports clothing, Griffith University found.

Mantras include “exercise to be fit, not skinny” and “skinny is not sexy, health is,” lead author Laura Uhlmann said. “The desire for thinness in any form is enough to elicit harmful outcomes.”