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Girls' reported weight concerns and body dissatisfaction across middle childhood showed consistency over time, were systematically related to their weight status, and predicted their dietary restraint, eating attitudes, and the likelihood of dieting at age 9. These results reflect patterns identified among adolescent girls and women.

Although the majority of adolescents report body dissatisfaction and the consequences of body image concerns are developmentally significant, most research addressing body image has been conducted by clinicians. Developmental scientists are in a unique position to contribute to body image research given their understanding of the intrapersonal (e.g., pubertal development) and interpersonal (e.g., family relationships) factors that affect the development of body image. The adolescent years provide a particularly good example of the developmental nature of body image because a myriad of "normal" developmental factors (e.g., peer relationships) coalesce to shape adolescents' body image. This commentary will summarize some of the significant body image research--focusing on adolescence--in the hope that it will encourage developmental psychologists to recognize the central role body image plays in development and address this topic in future research.

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Three studies are presented that demonstrate the psychometric properties and initial validation of the International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC). The IPIP-IPC is a brief 32-item assessment of the interpersonal cirucmplex designed to be used when time is limited or when participants have difficulty understanding the adjective items used in more traditional assessments of the interpersonal circumplex. In Study 1, 501 participants were examined to develop the IPIP-IPC and demonstrate the circular structure of the IPIP-IPC scales and their relation to the five-factor model of personality. Study 2 included 274 participants to reconfirm the circular structure of the IPIP-IPC scales. Finally, in Study 3, 100 participants again reconfirm the circular structure of the IPIP-IPC scales and demonstrate the overlap of the IPIP-IPC with a commonly used assessment of the circumplex: the 64-item Interpersonal Adjective Scale. Overall, the results suggest that the IPIP-IPC provides a relatively short, quick, and valid assessment of the interpersonal circumplex while maintaining many of the psychometric properties of longer assessment tools.

Although links between body image and dieting behaviors have been established among women, little research is available to elucidate relations between these constructs among men. In the present study, we examined relations between men's and women's body image and healthy and unhealthy dieting behaviors. Two hundred and eight participants' (104 men, mean age = 25.88 years; 104 women, mean age = 23.87 years) body perceptions and body satisfaction were assessed using the Contour Drawing Rating Scale. Participants' dieting behaviors were assessed using the Weight Control Behavior Scale and weight status was assessed using body mass index (BMI). Analyses of relations among BMI, body satisfaction, and healthy dieting behaviors revealed a predictable pattern for both men and women; BMI was inversely related to body satisfaction and was positively related to healthy dieting behaviors. Body satisfaction was inversely related to both men's and women's healthy and unhealthy dieting behaviors. Further analyses of the relations between men's and women's body image and unhealthy dieting behaviors suggest different motives for men's and women's participation in these potentially health-compromising weight-management techniques. Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to researchers' understanding of the gendered nature of body image and dieting behaviors.KEY WORDS: body image; dieting; body satisfaction; men; women.Body dissatisfaction and dieting behaviors are conceptualized as normative among adolescent girls and women. However, little research is available to elucidate associations between body image and dieting behaviors among men. An understanding of body image among both men and women is important given reports of the prevalence of people affected by body dissatisfaction and the psychological distress associated with body dissatisfaction

This study examined predictors of young women's interest in obtaining cosmetic surgery. The sample investigated was comprised of 101 college undergraduates residing in the northeastern U.S. (M age=19.99, SD=4.79). Participants' weight status (M BMI=24.52, SD=5.69), body dissatisfaction, internalization of media messages, reports of physical appearance teasing, and interest in obtaining cosmetic surgery were assessed. Results indicated that all of the predictors examined were correlated with women's interest in cosmetic surgery. Further, body dissatisfaction mediated the relations between weight status, internalization of media messages, reports of teasing, and women's interest in cosmetic surgery. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of understanding cosmetic surgery trends and young women's susceptibility to body dissatisfaction.

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