On models and vases: body dissatisfaction and proneness to social comparison effects.
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.
Trampe
Debra
D
Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. d.trampe@rug.nl
Stapel
Diederik A
DA
Siero
Frans W
FW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001504:Beauty; D001828:Body Image; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D009426:Netherlands; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012919:Social Behavior