**The “Beauty Backfire Effect” in Fitness Influencer Marketing**
For decades, advertising has operated under the belief that “sex sells”—that using attractive models and spokespeople in marketing reliably grabs attention, increases clicks, and makes products seem more desirable. Numerous studies in consumer behavior have supported this idea, with evidence showing that people are drawn to beauty and often associate it with success or credibility. However, new research is challenging this assumption, especially in the era of social media influencers, where authenticity and relatability are often more important than unattainable perfection.
Researchers Andrew Edelblum and Abby Frank have recently explored what they dub the “beauty backfire effect,” particularly within the fitness influencer—or “fitfluencer”—space. Their investigation aimed to understand whether being extremely attractive still provides an advantage for influencers, or if it can actually undermine their effectiveness in engaging an audience.
To test this, Edelblum and Frank conducted a series of laboratory experiments. Participants were shown mock Instagram posts from fictitious fitness influencer accounts. These posts were identical in content and messaging, with one crucial difference: the level of attractiveness of the influencer featured, as determined by independent raters using real influencers’ photos. The goal was to isolate the impact of attractiveness on audience engagement.
The results were surprising. Contrary to the long-standing marketing mantra, the most attractive fitfluencers consistently received fewer “likes” and “follows” than their moderately attractive counterparts. The reason, as identified by the participants, was that extremely attractive influencers were perceived as less relatable. Rather than feeling inspired, many viewers experienced a drop in self-esteem after viewing posts from highly attractive fitfluencers. The sense that the influencer’s physique was unattainable made followers feel worse about themselves, rather than motivated to improve.
On the other hand, seeing posts from moderately attractive fitfluencers had the opposite effect. Some participants reported a slight boost in confidence, possibly because the influencer’s appearance felt more realistic and achievable. This relatability seemed to foster a stronger connection and engagement.
Interestingly, the beauty backfire effect was not equally strong across all influencer domains. When the researchers repeated the experiment with finance influencers, the attractiveness of the influencer had little effect on audience engagement. This difference is likely because physical appearance is not central to the credibility of finance coaches, while it is a key credential for fitness influencers, where a sculpted body is often seen as proof of expertise.
However, the researchers found that the negative impact of extreme attractiveness among fitfluencers is not inevitable. In a further analysis, they examined the role of self-presentation style. When highly attractive influencers adopted a humble tone—sharing their struggles, training challenges, or plateaus in progress—the engagement gap with moderately attractive influencers disappeared. Followers were more willing to engage with influencers who seemed down-to-earth and honest about their own difficulties. Conversely, when highly attractive influencers used a prideful tone, boasting about their natural talent or exceptional dedication, the relatability gap widened even further.
This