Julia Coffey

Julia Coffey is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Newcastle, where she serves as Deputy Director of the Newcastle Youth Studies Centre. Her research advances sociological understanding of body image, gender, and youth health.

Coffey examines how young people negotiate body image against intensifying socio-cultural pressures, analyzing consumer culture, lifestyle development, and embodied identities. Her work challenges individualizing narratives of wellbeing through relational frameworks.

Current projects investigate digital self-image editing practices, gendered financial technologies, and COVID-19 impacts on marginalized youth. Coffey's methodological innovations include photovoice and arts-based approaches to embodiment research.