HowNotto Feel Good Naked? The Effects of Television Programs that Use “Real Women” on Female Viewers' Body Image and Mood

Abstract

A recent raft of lifestyle television programs have attempted through the presentation of "real women" and their corporeal experiences to promote positive body image, but their actual efficacy in doing so has not been examined. in the present study, (1) a lifestyle show aimed at promoting positive body image using average-sized actors (n = 40); (2) a modelling competition with an explicit focus on the thin ideal (n = 40); and (3) a nature series containing neutral content (n = 40). during pre-and post-exposure sessions, participants completed measures of body-focused anxiety, body weight dissatisfaction, and mood. Preliminary analyses showed that participants in each of the three groups did not significantly differ in key demographics and attitudes toward the video clips. however, participants in both experimental groups, but not the control group, reported more negative body-focused anxiety and body weight dissatisfaction in the post-test session. Participants exposed to the video clip focused on the thin ideal, but not the clip that ostensibly promotes positive body image, reported more negative post-exposure mood. these results are discussed in terms of the deleterious effects of lifestyle television programs that seek to (re)define "real women" as those who engage in traditional beauty practices and who are willing to work on the body.

Living in a world with eyeballs: How women make meaning of body image in the college environment

“…Many of these pressures are perpetuated by the media. In a study by Swami and Smith (2012), women who were exposed to media images of the thin ideal experienced more negative body image as compared to control groups. Although minimal in number, a few studies have concluded that exposure to media body ideals have a null effect (Ferguson, Munoz, Contreras, & Velasquez, 2011;Martin & Kennedy, 1993;Thornton & Maurice, 1997) or even decrease body-image dissatisfaction (Cusumano & Thompson, 1997;Durkin & Paxton, 2002).…”

“…Although minimal in number, a few studies have concluded that exposure to media body ideals have a null effect (Ferguson, Munoz, Contreras, & Velasquez, 2011;Martin & Kennedy, 1993;Thornton & Maurice, 1997) or even decrease body-image dissatisfaction (Cusumano & Thompson, 1997;Durkin & Paxton, 2002). However, the majority of research supports the claim that media images of the female ideal negatively impact body image (Swami & Smith, 2012).…”

“…Research has suggested that the standards of beauty and attractiveness set forth by the media may contribute to a woman's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with her body (Swami & Smith, 2012). Miles (2009) found that -viewing images of the thin-ideal caused an increase in body dissatisfaction, negative mood states, and eating disorder symptoms‖ (p. 5).…”