3: Designing-in Consumer Identity and Experience via Social Media Representation and Engagement Effects: Contesting Female Body Image and Branding

It is no longer news that women are not represented realistically in advertising and the media. But there have been encouraging signs of a cultural shift towards sizeism being less socially acceptable. So what does this mean for the brand story? In this chapter we consider whether social media could be the tool to cut through the artifice of brand message and place power more firmly in the consumers’ hands. To do this we chart some of the current complexities relating to body image in the articulation of identity. We examine the power that individuals now wield in the era of social media and the way that digital platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, are increasingly being used to showcase ‘the self’. Further, we look to understand how these new spaces for co-collaboration might facilitate more positive interaction between consumers and brands creating greater acceptance of body diversity.