What’s This Research About?
This study provides a systematic analysis of physical appearance-related attributes from three leading yoga lifestyle magazines published between 2010-2015: Yoga Journal, Om Yoga & Lifestyle, and Yoga Magazine. Media frame content of the magazine cover captions was also analyzed, in addition to whether differences in characteristics existed depending on whether the magazine’s mission statement reflected traditional yogic philosophy versus more exercise and fitness.
TITLE: Is the “Yoga Bod” the new skinny? A comparative content analysis of mainstream yoga lifestyle magazine covers
PUBLICATION: Body Image
DATE: 2016
AUTHORS : Jennifer B. Webb, Erin R. Vinoski, Jan Warren-Findlow, Meagan P. Padro, Elizabeth N. Burris, & Elizabeth M. Suddreth
Body objectification: Tendency to equate women with their bodies in contemporary Western society
Media frame: Thematic lens through which an individual interprets an underlying motivation for engaging in specific behaviors broadcasted through the media
Sociocultural theory: Psychological theory that looks at the contributions society makes to individual development
Yoga body: A stereotypical representation of a female yoga practitioner that involves being thin and lean
37 million U.S. adults practiced yoga within the last six months of 2016