Phase 1 of The Quantified Achievement Body project is a large-scale, cross-cultural (across eight countries, ten regions)  international survey study that examines how digital fitness culture shapes young women’s body ideals, exercise practices, and psychological wellbeing.  Across social media digital fitness content, young women are increasingly encouraged to “be strong,” “stay disciplined,” and “optimise” their bodies. These messages are often framed as empowering or even feminist. Phase 1 asks simple but important questions:

Do these digital fitness ideals actually reduce pressure — or do they and how they create new forms of stress and self-demands? 

Phase 1 study thus is designed to empirically test a theoretical model (based on previous research) regarding the mechanisms of digital fitness culture, body ideal internalisation, and their psychological consequences. In research words, it has two main objectives:

1.    Test for Universality: To determine if the "Achievement Subject" is a global phenomenon or culturally specific, by comparing if the pressure to be an"‘entrepreneur of the self" manifests differently across different regions.

2.    Map the Dual-Track Mechanism: To test a hypothesised model where body dissatisfaction stems from two distinct pathways: a traditional "Disciplinary track" (driven by negativity and restriction) and a modern "Achievement track" (driven by toxic positivity and optimisation). 

We aim to prove that both pathways despite opposing motivations converge to produce the same harmful outcomes: body dissatisfaction eating disorders, burnout, and maybe even depression. Findings from Phase 1 will identify key patterns that will inform later Phase 2 qualitative research exploring women’s experiences in greater depth.

We will use an anonymous online questionnaire to collect your answer of:

• 📱 Exposure to digital fitness culture (social media digital  fitness content engagement)

• 👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼 Internalisation of body ideals (including both thin and fit ideals)

• 🏋🏻‍♀️ Exercise-related pressure (including compulsive exercise and perfectionism)

• 🩵 Psychological outcomes (body dissatisfaction, burnout, and emotional distress)

• ⚧ Feminist beliefs (whether it shape how young women interpret fitness messages)

Rather than assuming fitness culture is either “good” or “bad,” this study looks at patterns, relationships, and mechanisms across a large and diverse sample.

Overall, we aim to recruit approximately 500 female university students per country across multiple regions, including Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North America.

You are welcome to participate if you are:

• A female university student

  • Identify as women

  • Typically aged 18–30 (we welcome you as long as you are student)

  • Undergraduate & Postgraduate students

• Interested in or engaging with:

  • Fitness or gym training

  • Sport participation

  • Exercise or workout practices (e.g. yoga, running, group fitness)

You do not need to be an athlete or fitness professional to take part.

If you decide to participate, there will be:

• An online questionnaire (in different language, please choose your own)

• Approximately 15 - 20 minutes to complete

• Entirely voluntary

• Anonymous and confidential

• Ethics-approved academic research (International & Local Ethics obtaining)

The results of Phase 1 study will:

• Help clarify how digital fitness culture influences women’s bodies and wellbeing

• Test a new theoretical model distinguishing discipline-based and achievement-based body pressures

• Provide an evidence base for future research, policy discussions, and public conversations around health, fitness, and gender

• Research Dissemination: Our findings will be shared through peer-reviewed journal papers, academic conferences, and research seminars, etc. You can access a full list of these scholarly works on our Academic Outputs page.

• Public Engagement: We are committed to sharing our insights with the wider public. Non-academic updates and findings will be published via the Project Blog on this site. Additionally, we plan to host interactive online workshops based on participant interest.

Our goal is not to judge individual choices, but to better understand the social and cultural forces shaping those choices.

Questionnaires in different language (pick your own 😉):

English:

Chinese:

Spanish:

German:

Polish: