The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies.

Abstract

Research suggests that exposure to mass media depicting the thin-ideal body may be linked to body image disturbance in women. This meta-analysis examined experimental and correlational studies testing the links between media exposure to women's body dissatisfaction, internalization of the thin ideal, and eating behaviors and beliefs with a sample of 77 studies that yielded 141 effect sizes. The mean effect sizes were small to moderate (ds = -.28, -.39, and -.30, respectively). Effects for some outcome variables were moderated by publication year and study design. The findings support the notion that exposure to media images depicting the thin-ideal body is related to body image concerns for women.

The effect of digital alteration disclaimer labels on social comparison and body image: Instructions and individual differences

“…Thus, disclaimer labels may be powerless to tackle social comparison for women high on trait appearance comparison. As previous research has shown that the negative effects from thin ideal exposure happen particularly for women who have internalised the thin ideal to a greater extent (Dittmar & Howard, 2004;Grabe et al, 2008;Groesz et al, 2002), intervention efforts might be more effective if focussed on preventing internalisation of the thin ideal, rather than trying to reduce appearance comparison after the fact.…”

“…It has now been well established that exposure to thin idealised media images can impact negatively on women's body image (Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008;Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002;Levine & Murnen, 2009;Want, 2009). These negative effects happen particularly for more vulnerable women, that is, for those who have internalised the thin ideal to a greater extent (Dittmar & Howard, 2004;Grabe et al, 2008;Groesz et al, 2002;Heinberg & Thompson, 1995;Yamamiya, Cash, Melnyk, Posavac, & Posavac, 2005) or for whom appearance is important to their self-concept (Dittmar & Howard, 2004;Halliwell & Dittmar, 2005).…”

“…These negative effects happen particularly for more vulnerable women, that is, for those who have internalised the thin ideal to a greater extent (Dittmar & Howard, 2004;Grabe et al, 2008;Groesz et al, 2002;Heinberg & Thompson, 1995;Yamamiya, Cash, Melnyk, Posavac, & Posavac, 2005) or for whom appearance is important to their self-concept (Dittmar & Howard, 2004;Halliwell & Dittmar, 2005). Negative body image, in particular body dissatisfaction, has been found to be associated with increased risk of depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders (Dittmar, 2009;Posavac, Posavac, & Weigel, 2001;Stice, Schupak-Neuberg, Shaw, & Stein, 1994).…”

The developmental effects of media-ideal internalization and self-objectification processes on adolescents’ negative body-feelings, dietary restraint, and binge eating

“…The mass media's portrayal of an ultrathin physique for women and a lean-muscular physique (i.e., musculature coupled with low body fat) for men is though to be behind body discontent and eating pathology [16][17][18][19][20]. Despite accumulated evidence of the effects of acute exposure to media-idealized images on viewers' negative body-feelings and ED symptoms [16,[19][20][21], the degree to which body image and eating related disturbances are culturally bound issues, [22], linked to, and caused by media's portrayal of gendered beauty ideals continues to be an issue of debate see [19,[23][24][25].…”

Preference effects on friendship choice: Evidence from an online field experiment

“…For example, neuroscientists find that among humans, faces of higher social status individuals incite more gazing attention than those of lower status people (Dalmaso et al, 2012). Research on fashion diffusion also suggests that new styles first adopted by higher status elites gradually diffuse to lower status people through imitation (Grabe et al, 2008;Simmel, [1904Simmel, [ :1957). …”