title: The effect of digital alteration disclaimer labels on social comparison and body image: Instructions and individual differences.
abstract: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of digital alteration disclaimer labels appended to fashion magazine advertisements, as well as instructional condition, on women's social comparison and body dissatisfaction. Participants were 378 female undergraduate students who viewed 11 thin ideal advertisements with either no disclaimer, a generic disclaimer, or a more detailed specific disclaimer. There were three instructional conditions: neutral, distractor, and social comparison. Disclaimer labels did not affect appearance comparison or body dissatisfaction, but instructional condition did, with the social comparison instructions producing the highest appearance comparison and body dissatisfaction. In addition, there was a three-way interaction with trait appearance comparison, such that women high on trait appearance comparison who saw specifically worded disclaimers in the distractor instructional condition experienced increased body dissatisfaction, whereas women low on this trait experienced decreased body dissatisfaction. It seems that both instructions and individual differences may influence responses to disclaimer labels.
authors.affiliation: Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. Electronic address: belinda.bury@flinders.edu.au.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bury
authors.affiliation: Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiggemann
authors.affiliation: University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slater
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000329:Advertising; D001290:Attitude; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D003469:Culture; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D010469:Perceptual Distortion; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D000067029:Physical Appearance, Body; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012928:Social Desirability; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body dissatisfaction; Disclaimer labels; Fashion magazine advertisements; Media; Social comparison