The beauty backfire effect: Being too attractive can hurt fitness influencers, new research shows

By: Andrew Edelblum, University of Dayton and Abby Frank, University of Oregon, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 5, 2025

Words: 851

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 5 days ago

By Andrew Edelblum, University of Dayton and Abby Frank, University of Oregon

“Sex sells” has been a mantra in marketing for decades. As researchers who study consumer behavior, we’ve seen plenty of evidence to support it: Attractive models and spokespeople have been shown to reliably grab attention, boost clicks and make products seem more desirable.

But our new research suggests that in a digital world full of influencers – …

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