title: Emerging adults' perceptions of messages about physical appearance.
abstract: Emerging adults receive messages about physical appearance from a range of sources, but few studies have examined the content of these messages. Undergraduates (N=154) who identified as African American, Latino American, and European American answered 4 open-ended questions about messages they perceived about physical appearance from family, peers, school, and media. Raters coded responses for content and affect. The most common messages perceived were the importance/non-importance of appearance, positive comments about appearance, and the link between attractiveness and success. The perception of these messages frequently differed by gender and source, but rarely by ethnicity. Women perceived more frequent and more negative messages than did men. Individuals perceived the media as transmitting more negative messages and the family more healthful and positive ones.
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, Abington, PA 19001, USA. mmg204@psu.edu
authors.forename: Meghan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gillen
authors.forename: Eva S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lefkowitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D003142:Communication; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D010379:Peer Group; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012938:Social Perception; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult