title: "That camera adds ten pounds!:" women's reactions to visual weight-related feedback and the role of trait body checking.
abstract: In Study 1 women were randomly assigned to viewing: (1) no photo of themselves, (2) an accurate, full-body photo, (3) a photo modified to make them appear thinner than usual, or (4) a photo modified to make them appear heavier than usual. Measures of mood, state self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction were completed. There were no main effects of photo condition; participants were generally poor at perceiving weight change. The heavier that participants thought they looked in their photo as compared to usual, the worse their appearance self-esteem and body dissatisfaction. Study 2 replicated these results and found that participants with higher levels of trait body checking were more likely to report that they looked heavier than usual in the photo. Study 3 replicated these results and found that the correlation between body parts checking and how participants thought they looked in the photo held true even after controlling for appearance investment.
authors.affiliation: York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, Canada; Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, SA, Australia. Electronic address: jsmills@yorku.ca.
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Bethany A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Shikatani
authors.affiliation: Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiggemann
authors.affiliation: Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hollitt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D010781:Photography; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body checking; Body image; Self-esteem; Weight feedback