Does Media Literacy Mitigate Risk for Reduced Body Satisfaction Following Exposure to Thin-Ideal Media?

Abstract

Exposure to thin-ideal media can contribute to increased body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls. Understanding the factors that may prevent or exacerbate the negative effects of media exposure on body satisfaction is important to facilitate prevention of these problems. This study evaluated the effects of exposure to thin-ideal media images on body image in three instructional set experimental conditions: appearance comparison, peer norms, and control. An important aim was to examine baseline levels of media literacy as a protective factor and trait thin-ideal internalization and trait upward appearance comparison as risk factors. Early adolescent girls (N = 246) completed baseline measures and one week later viewed thin-ideal media images, before and after which they rated their state body satisfaction. Participants in the appearance comparison instruction but not peer norms instruction condition had significantly reduced body satisfaction. Media literacy, particularly high levels of critical thinking, mitigated the negative effects of trait thin-ideal internalization and trait upward appearance comparison on body satisfaction outcomes. These findings provide evidence for the role of media literacy as a protective factor against the negative effects on body satisfaction of exposure to thin-ideal media images, and also provide evidence to support the development and implementation of media literacy-based body image interventions.

The measurement of media literacy in eating disorder risk factor research: psychometric properties of six measures

“…Secondary data from two separate studies were utilised in the current study [18, 24]. Two separate samples were included, each sample completing a different combination of media literacy questionnaires.…”

“…The measures examined in this paper were the media processing measures , the Realism, Similarity, and Desirability subscales of the Media Attitudes Questionnaire [MAQ; 6]; and the Fake subscale of the Critical Processing of Beauty Images Scale [23]; and the critical thinking measures , the Critical Thinking about Media Messages scale (CTMM; [15]), and the Critical Thinking about Media Messages - Appearance Focus scale (CTMM-AF), the latter of which was adapted from the CTMM [24]. Measures were selected because of their applicability to constructs addressed in media literacy interventions and consequently, their potential ability to detect change in media processing and critical thinking skills that may result from media literacy interventions.…”

Advertising at the point of sale: influence on children´s body image

“…With them, the exception that marked the recent studies cited cannot be fully applied, because of their vulnerability to the messages they receive. As previously mentioned, children may be affected by these messages more easily than any other target, especially if these children are the target audience to which advertising alludes directly (Kapferer, 1985;McLean et al, 2016;Unnikrishnan & Bajpai, 1996). However, it is necessary to take into account some facts like those of Van de Sompel.…”

La publicidad en el punto de venta: influencia en la imagen corporal infantil

“…Con ellos, la excepción que marcaban los citados estudios recientes no se puede aplicar del todo, a causa de su vulnerabilidad ante los mensajes que reciben. Como ya se ha comentado anteriormente, el público infantil puede verse afectado por estos mensajes con más facilidad que cualquier otro target, especialmente si estos niños son el público objetivo al que la publicidad alude directamente (Kapferer, 1985;McLean et al, 2016;Unnikrishnan & Bajpai, 1996). Sin embargo, hay que tener en cuenta algunos hechos como los que Van de Sompel apunta en su estudio sobre la influencia de estos estereotipos en los niños de entre 6 y 7 años:…”