Content uploaded by A. Ramos
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by A. Ramos on Jun 21, 2019
Content may be subject to copyright.
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
How will body image trends influence the
fitness market in Spain by 2035?
Summary
Body Positive and Curvy Model body image trends will influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035.
Before this happens, the Spanish population should understand that body image is not only about
aesthetics but skills, health and sexuality. What are the forces to shape the 2035 fitness scenario in
Spain, is the scope of this predictive intelligence report. This predictive intelligence report supports
the decision of the health and fitness company’s CEOs regarding how to adapt their corporate
strategy to fit the changes to come and how to detect these changes.
Analysis
Body Image is not about aesthetics … only
Body image is not limited to the aesthetic characteristics of the person, taking also into
considerations her or his state of health, skills and sexuality1. Body image is a multidimensional,
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
1916
1921
1926
1931
1936
1941
1946
1951
1956
1961
1966
1971
1976
1981
1986
1991
1996
2001
2006
2011
2016
Number of Body Image Studies
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
subjective and dynamic concept that encompasses a person’s perceptions, thoughts and feelings
about her or his body2.
Body image is not only about “how you look” but “what you can do” with your body. Body image is
not only “what you see in the mirror” but “what you are able to perform” with your body within the
boundaries of its physiological limits.
Occidental society, however, weighs so much the aesthetic part of the body image that health, skills
and sexuality are almost underestimated. This underestimation has driven woman and men to
psychological and eating disorders of all kind in the pursuit of the social recognition, perfect body
size and shape since the 1920s.
Health clubs’3 marketing, for example, focuses widely on how to achieve that perfect body size and
people’s reasons6 to join a health club is driven mainly by their aesthetics. This means that if people
understand that body image is not linked only to the aesthetics, people’s reasons to join health clubs
or to leave health clubs, will be motivated by the search of the satisfaction on some or all other 3
aspects of the body image: skills, health and sexuality. For this to happen, media messages play a
key role.
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
Media Messages as a Key Factor in Body Image
Body image largely results from internalizing the opinions of significant others (family, peers and
media messages) regarding the attributes and behaviours appropriate for each gender, within the
genetically determined physiological limits of the individual1.
Media messages communicate through imagery or videos. Imagery and video is the most persuasive
information; and in Spain, television, exterior advertising and the internet are the most popular media
messages4. It is what we see on television, exterior advertising and the internet what largely shapes
the perceptions, thoughts and feelings about our bodies, this is our body image.
The internet, particularly social media, is being the incubator of two body image trends: the Body
Positive and Curvy Model movements.
Body Positive movement advocate for a peaceful and healthful life teaching young and adults to
value their health, unique beauty and identity so they can use their vital resources of time, energy
and intellect to make positive changes in their own lives and in the world.
Curvy Model or Plus Sized movement is more focused on the aesthetic side of body image. The Curvy
Model movement advocate for the normalization of a plus size aesthetic into the fashion industry.
Anybody can write, upload and publish all kinds of information to social media. It is when celebrities
back the information when it turns into a trend, through followers liking the uploaded videos and
images.
Demi Lovato
Georgina Burke
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
Body Positive is backed by artists like Jennifer Lopez (94.9 million followers) or Demi Lovato (72.7
million followers). Curvy Model is backed by celebrities like Georgina Burke, model for Addition-Elle,
JustFabPlus, Teen Vogue and Vogue Italia, or Denise Bidot TV personality and model for Target,
Macy’s, Lane Bryant and Forever 21.
Television and exterior advertising differs from social media in its aim. Its aim is to persuade people’s
opinion toward a certain product or service. The aim is to generate revenue; it is a financial purpose.
If and when Body Positive and Curvy Model movements become relevant in the television and
exterior advertising, the perceptions, thoughts and feelings about people’s body will have reached a
turning point; it is when companies can make business out of these movements.
Forces to shape the body image trends in Spain by 2035
Demographics
In Spain a 21.1% reduction of population aged 25 to 55 by 2035 is projected5. This is a reduction in
4.1 million people. The reduction of the work force in Spain by 2035 is significant and will enhance
an economic migration to this country. The culture of the economic migrants to arrive, is likely to
influence the Body Positive and Curvy Model trends.
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
Romanians and Moroccans migrate to Spain the most but are very likely to return to their countries
of origin. The third in rank are Latinos; they are likely to migrate to Spain too but tend to stay over. In
this way, the increased migration from LATAM countries, due to the economic opportunities in Spain
compared to LATAM and the shared Spanish language, is likely to influence the Body Positive and
the Curvy Model trends in Spain by 2035 due to the different body image cultural perception of
Latinos compared to Spaniards.
Legislation
Spanish and European legislation is to play a key role on the body image trends. On one hand, strong
legislation against gender violence developed by Europe and Spain is likely to make women adhere
to the Body Positive and Curvy Model movement. But, on the other hand, legislation against obesity
and how this affects health is likely to decrease this trend.
Nowadays, health standards are based on BMI in the evaluation of overweight and obesity among
population in EU countries. Obese people are more likely to suffer from certain diseases. Health
expenses for obese related diseases is projected to increase up to 3 billion euros by 2030 in Spain
alone. Spaniards might be pushed to private health insurance and the policy of these companies
towards obese related diseases may decrease the so mentioned trends in body image.
Cyberbulling is a countervailing force in the Curvy Model movement. Women showing their
voluptuous and curvy bodies in videos and images in social media are forced to retract from these
aesthetics back to the traditional thinner body aesthetic through cyberbulling. This may push back
Obesity = 3 B€ Health Cost
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
and intimidate some women from expressing their satisfaction with a more curvy body but it is likely
to enhance their self-esteem in the long term. Moreover, it is likely that the Spanish laws considering
cyberbulling as a gender violence related offence against women, will prosecute cyberbulling in the
Spanish territory.
Social
Feminism in Spain is increasing its influence, supported by the government’s funding aligned with
European politics on gender violence and equality.
Data shows that by 2025 the influence of feminism in Spain on the Internet will reach 5 million cites
and articles on the internet alone. This influence will certainly drive women to achieve their goals
towards equality with men and will support the Body Positive and Curvy Model trends.
Technology
Social media is a psychological war. In social media it is not about facts; it is about persuasion or
manipulation through, for example, the fake news or “Photoshopping”. Credibility and reliability of
the source, the information or the channel is not commonly judged among social media users.
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
Social media arena is the battlefield for lobbies to incline social pressure towards the goals they
aspire. Lobbies will certainly use the social media as a channel to support their goals, whether it is
backing the trends in body image or opposing to them.
The usage and spreading of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to achieve happiness in people, is yet to come.
The usage of AI to achieve a much happier state in human beings is likely to influence the Body
Positivity and Curvy Model trends through the positive assessment of one’s own body image in all
four categories aesthetics, skills, health and sexuality.
Politics
It is uncertain the power that the far right can accumulate in the next 15 years in Spain. It is a fact
that nationalism is emerging all across Europe. VOX is the far right political party in Spain and has
won a 10.3% of the votes in the last elections held in 2019.
Far right party in Spain, VOX, is against abortion and the promotion of the gender violence law. Funds
supporting feminism will be halted if they ever get to win Spanish national elections. It is unlikely for
this to happen, although far right party in other European countries as in Hungary, did achieve this
victory.
Certainly, far right winning the national elections in Spain will influence the Body Positive and Curvy
Model trends presumably increasing the adhesion of women to this trend, which is exactly the
opposite to the expected, as women will fight to get back their lost rights.
Conclusions
Body image trends are likely to influence the fitness market in Spain as people will be demanding
services that enhance not only their aesthetics but their health, skills and sexuality. How and when
health and fitness companies are to adapt to these demands will be determined mostly by what
people see on television in Spain. As soon as commercials, TV shows and news in Spain start to
include voluptuous women as the aesthetic aspirations of women on body image instead of the
traditional thin body aesthetics, it will be the right time for the health and fitness companies to slowly
adapt to the new demands of their customers.
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
In 2019, the body image movement, Body Positive and Curvy Model, are influencing women to feel
happy on healthy, skilful and sexy voluptuous bodies instead of focusing only on a skinny body look.
The trend is increasing in social media backed by celebrities like Demi Lovato or Jennifer Lopez who
have more than 160 million follower together in Instagram alone. On TV maybe two or three brands
are moving toward commercials showing slightly voluptuous bodies, in Spain in 2019.
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
Economic migration from LATAM countries, European and Spanish legislation against obesity and
cyberbulling, feminism movement support by the government, the far right power in Spain, lobbies
pressure in social media and the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the achievement of happiness
are some of the new forces to shape how the body image trends will influence the fitness market in
Spain by 2035.
“How will body image trends influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035?” Alan Smithee, June 2019
Lucubrum Intelligence Services – contact@lucubrum.com
1. Alexandra Neagu, “Body Image. A Theoritical Framework”, 2015
2. Grogan S., “Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women, and Children”, Routledge, London / New York, 2008
3. Smithee A., “What is a Health Club?”, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332971057_What_is_a_Health_Club Researchgate, 2019
4. Estudio General de Medios 3ª Ola 2018, Asociación para la Investigación de Medios de Comunicación, www.aimc.es
5. Smithee A., “How will demographics influence the fitness market in Spain by 2035”,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332606101_How_will_demographics_influence_the_fitness_market_in_Spain_by_2035, Researchgate
2019
6. International Health and Raquet Sports Association, “IHRSA Trend Report 2012”
