The relationships between age and both body size estimation and body dissatisfaction were assessed by Distorting Television Image Method (DTIM) and Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) in a sample of 96 female subjects of ages ranging from 7 to 65 years. We found that there were no significant body distortion differences between different age ranges, although the most accurate perception seemed to occur during adolescence. As far as DTIM assessment of body dissatisfaction was concerned, adolescents showed no significantly greater aesthetic preoccupation than subjects of other age groups. On the other hand, using BCS, body dissatisfaction appeared to increase proportionally with age. The low, although significant, correlations between these two techniques of measuring body dissatisfaction suggest that, in addition to evaluating aesthetic features, BCS also assesses the degree of satisfaction with functional body aspects which are exposed to unavoidable decline with ageing.
Current sociocultural beliefs de®ne feminine beauty as being tall and slender. The relationship between Perceived Body Image, Ideal Body Image and Body Dissatisfaction were assessed by the Distorting Television Image Method (DTIM) in a sample of 78 female subjects ranging in age from 15 to 65 years. Of the sample 88.46 per cent desired a taller and thinner body than their own undistorted image as seen on the television screen. These subjects with an Ideal Body taller and thinner than their own, also had a Perceived Body Image which was taller and thinner than it actually was, yet they were the most dissatis®ed with their body dimensions. The subjects with an Ideal Body Image very different from the current sociocultural standards showed the lowest level of Body Dissatisfaction.
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