The thinner the better: Evidence on the internalization of the slimness ideal in Chinese college students

Abstract

Internalization of the “thin ideal” is a risk factor for eating pathology. It is unclear how pervasive the thin ideal is among young Chinese. In the current study, 97 participants reported their subjective willingness to be thin and their eating‐disorder‐related weight‐controlling behaviors, and then finished a picture judgment task to implicitly detect their perception of the importance of thinness to attractiveness. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the data. Among female participants, 79.59% wanted a thinner body. Participants' level of willingness to be thin correlated positively with frequency of eating‐disorder‐related weight‐controlling behaviors, r = .47, p < .05. In the implicit task, the judgment of others' attractiveness correlated negatively with body mass index (BMI) evaluation, and this relationship was stronger for women's pictures than for men's pictures. Additionally, an individual's willingness to be thin enhanced the relationship between BMI evaluation and attractiveness judgment. The notion “the thinner the better” seems to be widely accepted among young Chinese.

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Body Image Concern Inventory

“…For example, in a survey of college students in Beijing, China, 73% of women and 46% of men endorsed that they wished to have a slimmer figure (Wang et al, 2018). Similar results were found in another recent study of Chinese college students (Wang et al, 2020). As expected, body dissatisfaction was negatively associated with self-esteem and positively with negative affect and disordered eating among Chinese adults (Wang et al, 2018, 2020; Yu et al, 2020).…”

“…Similar results were found in another recent study of Chinese college students (Wang et al, 2020). As expected, body dissatisfaction was negatively associated with self-esteem and positively with negative affect and disordered eating among Chinese adults (Wang et al, 2018, 2020; Yu et al, 2020). Among a sample of Chinese medical students, one third endorsed body image concern not related to their current weight (Liao et al, 2009).…”

The Mediating Effect of Self-Control on Depression and Tendencies of Eating Disorders in Adolescents

“…Young Chinese people generally believe that the thinner they are, the better. Thinness and prevention of weight gain are thus widely promoted by the Chinese media, especially for young women (50), and they may adopt various methods to control their weight, including fitness, diet, purging, etc., to cater to societal expectations. Therefore, they are more likely to suffer from ED.…”

Attentional biases toward auditory weight‐related information among females with weight dissatisfaction

“…Nowadays, the aesthetic standard of “thinness is beauty” and “the thinner the better” has become widely popular in society (Wang et al, 2020). Repeated exposure to unrealistically thin women on social media has led to widespread acceptance of the thin ideal in women (Stewart & Ogden, 2021).…”