Jennifer Mills, York University

Research

body image social media women social comparison

Latest papers

Young women's dialectical responses to fitspiration and thinspiration: A qualitative study.
Eating behaviors · 2023 · senior author
In perfect harmony: synchronizing the self to activated social categories.
Journal of personality and social psychology · 2012

All 2 publications

Latest funding

BodyScreen: A Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating a Co-Designed Mobile Intervention Targeting Maladaptive Social Media Use and Psychological Risk Factors to Reduce Eating Disorder Risk in Youth
CIHR · 2026 · Principal investigator
$100,000
Mitigating the negative effects of social media use on women's body image
SSHRC · 2024 · Principal investigator
$26,162
Documenting Africans in Trans-Atlantic Slavery
SSHRC · 2019 · Co-investigator
$98,912

All 6 grants and awards

2 publications.

01

Young women's dialectical responses to fitspiration and thinspiration: A qualitative study.

Hogue J, Minister C, Samson L, Campbell G, Mills J

Eating behaviors2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101758 PMID: 37276725

02

In perfect harmony: synchronizing the self to activated social categories.

Kawakami K, Phills CE, Greenwald AG, Simard D, Pontiero J, Brnjas A, Khan B, Mills J, Dovidio JF

Journal of personality and social psychology2012

DOI: 10.1037/a0025970 PMID: 22059847

BodyScreen: A Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating a Co-Designed Mobile Intervention Targeting Maladaptive Social Media Use and Psychological Risk Factors to Reduce Eating Disorder Risk in Youth

Principal investigatorCIHR2026Project Grant - PA: INMHA Health Effects of Digital Applications and AI

Principal investigators: Meier, Sandra M; Coelho, Jennifer S; Jones, Shaleen; Keshen, Aaron; Mills, Jennifer S

Keywords: Digital Intervention; Eating Disorder; Prevention; Social Media

$100,000

Mitigating the negative effects of social media use on women's body image

Principal investigatorSSHRC2024Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Mills, Jennifer S.

Keywords: social media; body image; women

$26,162

Documenting Africans in Trans-Atlantic Slavery

Co-investigatorSSHRC2019Trans-Atlantic Platform - Social Innovation

Principal investigators: Lovejoy, Paul E.

Keywords: ethnonyms; methods; data justice; biographies; West Africa

$98,912

The impact of appearance-based social media on young women's body image

Principal investigatorSSHRC2016Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Mills, Jennifer S.

Keywords: body image; social media; social comparison; women

$160,456

Extracting recognition government responsiveness to indigenous communities affected by extractive industries in Canada, Norway and Peru

Principal investigatorSSHRC2011

Principal investigators: Mills, Jennifer

Keywords: extractive industries; Indigenous peoples; public policy; environmental policy

$105,000

Idealized media images and 'thinspiration' among dieters

Principal investigatorSSHRC2003Standard Research Grants

Principal investigators: Mills, Jennifer S.

Keywords: idealized media images; inspiration; motivation; dieting; possible selves; body image; self-perception

$90,915

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Kerry Kawakami

Social Psychology

1 shared papers, latest 2012

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2026

Subject: Prospective PhD student: body image Dear Professor Mills, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Young women's dialectical responses to fitspiration and thinspiration: A qualitative study." (2023), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "BodyScreen: A Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating a Co-Designed Mobile Intervention Targeting Maladaptive Social Media Use and Psychological Risk Factors to Reduce Eating Disorder Risk in Youth" (2026), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]