Aging, body image, and body shape.
Participants were 25 older men (M age = 72 years, SD = 10 years) and 27 older women (M age = 71 years, SD = 8 years) who examined multiple line-drawing figures of babies, children, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Participants picked a number on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (very thin) to 9 (very obese) in response to questions including "Which is the most attractive?" and "Which figure would you most like to look like?" They also completed questionnaires about their body image and body shape. In response to the age-specific line drawings (e.g., those depicting older men and older women), older women endorsed thinner figures (e.g., picked smaller numbers) than did men. Likewise, older women reported thinking more about their body shape and appearance than did men and perceived their body image as "a little too big" in comparison with the older men who perceived their body image as "just the right size." However, a breakdown of normal and overweight women in this sample revealed that for some overweight elderly women, obesity could become a satisfactory way of life. Much as with college-aged women, the endorsement of a thinner body image by many of the older adult female participants appeared to persist into late adulthood and suggests that research into body image issues with older adults is relevant and necessary.
Ferraro
F Richard
FR
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Corwin-Larimore Rm. 215, 319 Harvard St. Stop 8380, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8380, USA. f_ferraro@und.nodak.edu
Muehlenkamp
Jennifer J
JJ
Paintner
Ashley
A
Wasson
Kayla
K
Hager
Tracy
T
Hoverson
Fallon
F
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004954:Esthetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011386:Projective Techniques; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013008:Somatotypes / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014888:Wechsler Scales