On models and vases: Body dissatisfaction and proneness to social comparison effects.

Abstract

When and why do media-portrayed physically attractive women affect perceivers' self-evaluations? In 6 studies, the authors showed that whether such images affect self-evaluations depends jointly on target features and perceiver features. In Study 1, exposure to a physically attractive target, compared with exposure to an equally attractive model, lowered women's self-evaluations. Study 2 showed that body-dissatisfied women, to a greater extent than body-satisfied women, report that they compare their bodies with other women's bodies. In Study 3, body-dissatisfied women, but not body-satisfied women, were affected by both attractive models and nonmodels. Furthermore, in Study 4, it was body-dissatisfied women, rather than body-satisfied women, who evaluated themselves negatively after exposure to a thin (versus a fat) vase. The authors replicated this result in Study 5 by manipulating, instead of measuring, body dissatisfaction. Finally, Study 6 results suggested that body dissatisfaction increases proneness to social comparison effects because body dissatisfaction increases self-activation.

The reciprocal and indirect relationships between passive Facebook use, comparison on Facebook, and adolescents' body dissatisfaction

“…In line with this reasoning, prior research indicates that women with high levels of body dissatisfaction are more inclined to engage in appearance-related comparison than women low in body dissatisfaction (Blechert et al, 2009;Trampe, Stapel, & Siero, 2007).…”

Neural correlates of viewing photographs of one’s own body and another woman’s body in anorexia and bulimia nervosa: an fMRI study

“…Because the main purpose of the present study was the between-groups comparison of participants with AN, BN and healthy controls, we used a standardized set of pictures of a female body to present each participant from the 3 groups with exactly the same stimulus material for the condition of the unknown woman's body because previous research showed that the attractiveness of the individual with whom people compare themselves affects self-evaluation. 57 However, these standardized photographs were taken of a woman with a BMI of 19; therefore, this woman was heavier than the participants with AN, but her BMI was comparable to or lower than that of the participants with BN and healthy controls. This stimulus may, thus, have caused differential effects in the participants of the 3 groups.…”

Impact of Media on Development of Eating Disorders in Young Females of Pakistan

“…It is suggested that women who are dissatisfied with their bodies are more likely than body satisfied women to make deflating upward comparisons between themselves and physically attractive targets (Trampe et al, 2007). In addition, female media characters are often explicitly designated as cultural icons of attractiveness on the covers of entertainment and fashion magazines, which may encourage the kinds of social comparison processes that characterize body surveillance tendencies.…”