How Influencers Shape Your Body Image—and Drain Your Wallet

Scrolling Instagram and suddenly convinced you need new leggings, a greens powder, and a glow-up morning routine? You’re not alone. Social media influencers have turned body image into a business model and it’s costing you more than money.

In this episode of Millennial Body Image Project, we explore the hidden ways influencer culture messes with our self-perception, promotes disordered health habits, and sells the illusion of wellness, one affiliate link at a time.

Key Takeaways:

Influencer culture thrives on insecurity.

Most body-based marketing (even under the guise of wellness) is designed to make you feel like you’re not doing enough—and that buying something will fix it.

Your FYP is not neutral.

Algorithms know what triggers you—and serve you content that’s likely to keep you watching (and spending). We discuss how social media keeps body obsession alive, especially among millennials.

There’s no such thing as “just sharing what works for me.”

When someone profits from a product or routine they promote, transparency matters. Without it, wellness becomes a carefully curated performance.

Your body is not a brand.

You don’t have to be a walking testimonial to be valid, healthy, or worthy. Your life doesn’t need to be content.

“ You’re not failing at wellness. You’re being marketed to—24/7.”

Listen to Influencers, Body Image, and Your Wallet on Millennial Body Image Project.
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