A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body—Recipes for a Healthy Living as Seen in Polish Vlogs

Abstract

The fashion for leading a healthy lifestyle has recently reached Polish society. Inspired by exposure through the mass media, many people have decided to introduce changes into the way they eat and exercise, primarily in order to become healthier and slimmer. According to recent surveys, one of the most popular sources of information concerning healthy lifestyles is, of course, the Internet. It is an extremely functional tool that allows its users not only the possibility to find the relevant information they need, but it also helps them create their own resources containing advice and information for other like-minded users. This article analyzes examples of Polish vlogs posted on the Youtube.pl platform that are principally devoted to improving fitness, as well as showing the most effective ways to lose weight. The four main areas of focus investigated are: the vloggers’ motivations for creating and publishing videos, the vloggers’ reference to their own bodies, the reasons they offer for seeking a healthier way of living, the vloggers’ bodies as their representation in the social space of the Internet, and the role of the Internet community in the many processes in helping people become slimmer.