Health
Taylor Swift has a mostly positive impact on fans' body image and diet culture, study reveals
Pop star Taylor Swift has helped her fans achieve a more positive outlook overall on diet culture, disordered eating and body image, according to a new study from the University of Vermont.
The research, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, surveyed hundreds of social media posts on TikTok and Reddit from Swift fans’ remarks about eating disorders or body image.
The common themes included conversations about Swift as a role model for disordered eating recovery; the use of or identification with specific songs that mention struggles with eating or body image; and objectification of Swift’s body.
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The study also examined conflicting reactions from fans on social media to a scene in Swift’s “Anti-Hero” music video that depicted the word “fat” on a scale.
Swift’s disclosure of her own struggles with eating and body image have had an overall positive influence on her fans with similar struggles, the researchers concluded.
Although it was difficult to decipher demographics from social media posts, the “general sense” was that most users were young adults, many on TikTok presenting as high school age or younger, a researcher said. (Getty Images; iStock)
Swift is considered “one of the most popular and influential celebrities” with “power as a role model for millions of fans across the world,” the study findings stated.
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Lead study researchers Lizzy Pope and Kelsey Rose discussed the findings with Fox News Digital.
Pope, an associate professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Vermont, said she recognized the admiration many of her students have for Swift.
Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Veltins Arena on July 17, 2024, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Andreas Rentz/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
In Swift’s 2020 documentary, “Miss Americana,” the pop star spoke candidly about her eating disorder — which led Pope to wonder how such disclosures have impacted her fans.
She and Rose, a clinical assistant professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Vermont, began gathering qualitative data from social media to create a “code book” of common themes.
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The researchers found that Swift seemed to be a role model for those dealing with disordered eating.
“People would have really vulnerable, honest reflections on how her work, or her disclosure, had helped them through disordered eating of their own,” Pope said.
Two Taylor Swift fans pose for a selfie in the city center during the pop singer’s concert at the nearby Veltins Arena on July 17, 2024, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Hesham Elsherif/Getty Images)
Swift also appeared to help decrease the stigma around disordered eating and make it more acceptable to seek treatment, according to the researchers.
Despite the overall positive effects, however, Pope noted that many fans still “persistently objectified” Swift’s body online.
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Pope also called the “fat scale” in Swift’s “Anti-Hero” music video an “artistic choice,” although some people claimed that it showed “anti-fat bias.”
“Other people thought it was just her experience as someone with an eating disorder who has body dysmorphia and sees her objectively thin body as fat,” she said.
(Swift has since removed this scene from the video, in response to critics who considered it “harmful,” Pope said.)
Taylor Swift and Lana Wilson are shown speaking onstage during the Netflix premiere of “Miss Americana” at Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 23, 2020, in Park City, Utah. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netfilx)
Given Swift’s “vulnerability and honesty,” Rose pointed out the “profound impact” the singer has had on society.
“A strong female figure in the celebrity world can have a huge impact on our culture and the well-being of our citizens,” she said.
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Eating disorders have risen since the pandemic began, particularly among teens and young adults, Pope pointed out.
“So, maybe there’s an untapped public health potential to partner with celebrities who have had these types of experiences and are willing to be vulnerable and … change the way we think about bodies, eating and what it means to be healthy,” she suggested.
Warning on ‘potential detriment’
Dr. Andrea Vazzana, a psychologist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders at NYU Langone in New York City, reacted to the study findings in an interview with Fox News Digital. She was not involved in the research.
Vazzana pointed out that Swift has driven people to action in other areas, from voting to attending football games and making friendship bracelets.
Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Veltins Arena on July 17, 2024, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Andreas Rentz/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
The pop star’s influence on disordered eating, however, could be a “potential detriment,” Vazzana warned.
In her 2020 documentary, “Taylor appeared to advocate for body acceptance and against behaviors that sabotage one’s body image and physical or emotional health,” she said.
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“She spoke of the futility of trying to meet societal beauty standards – in part because beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in part because of the incompatibility of meeting multiple standards simultaneously.”
Vazzana, however, said she considers this self-disclosure to be “flawed in several ways.”
“A strong female figure in the celebrity world can have a huge impact on our culture and the well-being of our citizens,” one of the researchers said. (iStock)
“Some people will view Taylor as a role model of vitality,” she said.
“On the other hand, those fans [who are] susceptible to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders are likely to scour her words for tips on how she lost weight and ways that she now maintains what most would consider an enviable physique.”
There is a risk that fans might try to “emulate her exercise and restrictive eating habits, despite her disavowal of them.”
Swift’s disclosure addresses “weight-loss methods, timelines, social reinforcers and excuses [given to] concerned individuals,” the psychologist added.
There is a risk that fans might try to “emulate her exercise and restrictive eating habits, despite her disavowal of them,” Vazzana said.
Swift also shared her clothing size at her current weight and at her thinnest, the expert noted, which could spark comparisons or even self-loathing among fans, Vazzana also said.
Swift’s disclosure of details about her disordered eating could pose a risk for some fans, one psychologist warned. (iStock)
“Multiple well-controlled quantitative research studies have demonstrated the negative impact of comparing one’s appearance with celebrities who promote thinness, with stronger parasocial relationships and celebrity worship magnifying that impact.”
Vazzana also called out potential limitations of the study.
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“Data was sourced from a self-selected population of individuals who were like-minded in their choice of social media and their Swiftie fandom,” she said.
“Swifties are a notoriously cohesive and loyal group of supporters.”
So these fans may be less likely to disagree with the core group of posters to avoid any backlash, Vazzana noted.
The posts were also not randomly selected, she added, which could introduce a “potential source of bias.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for reaction to Vazzana’s input and to Swift’s representatives requesting comment.
Health
Switching from cigarettes to vapes linked to higher risk of major eye diseases, large study finds
US cigarette smoking drops to record low, vaping and nicotine pouch use surges
Fox News medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel discusses a New England Journal of Medicine study reporting US adult cigarette smoking rates dropped to a record low of 9.9% in 2024. Siegel warns about the addictive nature of vaping and nicotine pouches, which contain high levels of nicotine. He expresses concern over potential GI tract and heart issues, stressing social media’s role in promoting these products to younger generations.
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Switching from cigarettes to electronic vapes is often seen as a healthier move, but a massive nationwide study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology suggests that smokeless alternatives could increase the risk of serious eye diseases compared to quitting nicotine altogether.
Researchers from the Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, analyzed health data from a group of 179,273 adults through the Korean National Health Insurance Service, according to a press release.
All participants had smoked traditional cigarettes between 2011 and 2012 and then quit smoking by 2018 or 2019, they reported.
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To ensure a fair comparison, the researchers paired up participants who shared similar backgrounds, including their age, gender, medical history, existing health conditions and general lifestyle habits.
Switching from cigarettes to electronic vapes is often seen as a healthier move, but a large study suggests it could pose a risk to eye health. (iStock)
This process created a balanced group of 32,316 matched participants, who were divided into two categories: complete quitters who stopped using all nicotine products and those who transitioned to smokeless nicotine products, such as vapes.
The researchers followed the participants for an average of 4.6 years to determine whether they developed eye conditions, including cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and focus-related eyesight disorders.
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Over the tracking period, the group experienced a total of 6,328 major eye disease events. People who quit nicotine entirely had the lowest disease rate in the study, at 41.1 cases per 1,000 person-years (a measure that accounts for both the number of people in the study and how long they were followed).
In comparison, that rate rose to 44 cases for individuals who had switched over to smokeless alternatives like vapes.
The people included in the study were divided into two main categories: complete quitters who stopped using all nicotine products, and switchers who transitioned to smokeless tobacco or nicotine products, like vapes. (iStock)
Ultimately, the data showed that switching to alternative nicotine products carried a steady 7% increased risk of serious eye diseases compared to quitting nicotine completely.
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Most notably, those who switched faced a 24% higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages the blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
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Additionally, those who ditched cigarettes for vapes had a 7% higher risk of developing refractive and accommodation disorders, which affect the eye’s ability to focus clearly.
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“These findings challenge the assumption that substituting noncombustible nicotine or tobacco products for conventional cigarettes is visually harmless,” the researchers noted.
“These findings challenge the assumption that substituting noncombustible nicotine or tobacco products for conventional cigarettes is visually harmless,” the researchers noted. (iStock)
The authors did point out a few limitations of the research. Because this was a study looking back at health insurance data, it cannot definitively prove that vaping directly causes eye damage.
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Additionally, the study relied on people filling out questionnaires about their own smoking and vaping habits, which can sometimes lead to underreporting or simple memory errors.
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Still, the researchers concluded the findings suggest that replacing cigarettes with alternative nicotine products may not eliminate the risk of certain eye diseases.
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The latest COVID-19 vaccine (2024-2025) has been linked to fewer serious heart-related events among U.S. veterans.
New research confirmed a small reduction in COVID-related cardiovascular events, or COVID-19-associated MACE, due to the vaccine.
MACE (major adverse cardiovascular events) is a composite measure of serious heart-related outcomes. It typically includes cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke, and may also include hospitalization for heart failure.
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Using health records from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the researchers compared two groups of veterans — one that received the COVID and flu vaccine on the same day (nearly 350,000 people) and another group that received only the flu vaccine (nearly 700,000 people).
For people older than 75, vaccine effectiveness against COVID-associated MACE was 50.7%. (iStock)
Out of more than one million veterans studied, the average age was about 70 and 92% were male, according to a press release.
Within about eight months, the results showed that those who received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine had a lower risk of COVID-associated major cardiovascular events, with a relative vaccine effectiveness of 37.7%.
The COVID vaccine was linked to a 57.9% lower risk of cardiovascular death, 38.5% lower risk of heart attack and 41.9% lower risk of hospitalization for heart failure, the researchers stated. The result for stroke was not statistically significant.
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The benefit was greatest among adults ages 75 and older and those with underlying health conditions. In people over 75, the vaccine was 50.7% effective at preventing COVID-associated MACE.
As the study was observational, it could not prove cause and effect between the COVID-19 vaccine and lower risk of cardiovascular events, but only highlighted an association.
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Dr. Glenn Hirsch, cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, called these results “not overall surprising” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
After eight months, those who received the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine had a lower risk of COVID-associated major cardiovascular events. (iStock)
“This result is consistent with previous studies of the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines against infectious diseases [in] preventing cardiovascular events, including heart attack, cardiovascular cause of death or hospitalizations,” he said.
Acute inflammation in the body from infections like COVID-19 increases the risk of cardiovascular events and can cause further complications, according to the doctor.
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“This can lead to a higher risk of blood clotting, but can also make arterial plaques susceptible to rupture, which then leads to clot formation to heal a ruptured plaque,” he said. “This clotting can cause a near-total or complete occlusion of an artery, leading to these cardiovascular events.”
“Vaccines either prevent infection or reduce the severity of infection and subsequent inflammation, lowering the cardiovascular risk.”
Acute inflammation in the body from infections like COVID-19 can increase the risk of cardiovascular events, the study suggests. (iStock)
Despite the positive outcome, the overall benefit of the vaccine in this study was less than in previous studies, according to Hirsch, who was not involved in the research.
This could be due to the lower severity of illness seen in more recent COVID-19 variants, as well as immunity from prior infections among unvaccinated people, he noted. There has also been a decline in COVID testing, making it more difficult to link cardiovascular events to the virus.
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“The bottom line [is] that there is still evidence of benefit from COVID-19 vaccination like many other infectious disease vaccinations, and people should be encouraged to discuss these with their healthcare team annually,” Hirsch advised.
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“This is an observational trial and there can always be some confounding after necessary statistical adjustments and other potential benefits or harms, including adverse effects from vaccines that were not investigated in this study,” he added.
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