The Role of Social Comparison in the Effect of Magazine Advertisements on Women's Mood and Body Dissatisfaction
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the role of social comparison processes in women's responses to images of thin-idealized female beauty. A sample of 126 women viewed magazine advertisements containing full-body, body part, or product images. Instructional set was also manipulated with three levels: control, appearance focus, and social comparison. Mood and body dissatisfaction were measured immediately before and after advertisement viewing, while state weight anxiety and the amount of appearance comparison engaged in were measured only after the advertisements. It was found that exposure to either body part or full body images led to increased negative mood and body dissatisfaction, while the amount of comparison processing was affected by both image type and instructional set. Importantly, regression analyses showed that the effects of image type on mood and body dissatisfaction were mediated by the amount of social comparison reported. It was concluded that the processing in which women engage in response to media images is an important contributor to negative effects.
References
-
Anderson , D. R., Huston, A. C., Schmitt, K. L., Linebarger, D. L., & Wright, J. C. (2001). Early childhood television viewing and adolescent behavior: The recontact study. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 66, 1–147. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Baron , R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Cash , T.F. (1998). The emergence of negative body images. In E.A. Blechman & K.D. Brownell (Eds.), Behavioral medicine and women: A comprehensive handbook. New York: Guilford. Google Scholar -
Cash , T. F., & Labarge, A. S. (1996). Development of the Appearance Schemas Inventory: A new cognitive body-image assessment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 20, 37–50. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Cattarin , J. A., Thompson, J. K., Thomas, C. & Williams, R. (2000). Body image, mood, and televised images of attractiveness: The role of social comparison. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 220–239. Link, Google Scholar -
Champion , H., & Furnham, A. (1999). The effect of the media on body satisfaction in adolescent girls. European Eating Disorders Review, 7, 213–228. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Faith , M. S., Leone, M. A., & Allison, D. B. (1997). The effects of self-generated comparison targets, BMI, and social comparison tendencies on body image appraisal. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 5, 128–140. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Field , A. E., Camargo, C. A., Taylor, C. B., Berkey, C. S., & Colditz, G. A. (1999). Relation of peer and media influences to the development of purging behaviors among preadolescent and adolescent girls. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 153, 1184–1189. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Field , A. E., Camargo, C. A., Jr., Taylor, C. B., Berkey, C. S., Roberts, S. B., & Colditz, G. A. (2001). Peer, parent, and media influences on the development of weight concerns and frequent dieting among preadolescent and adolescent girls and boys. Pediatrics, 107, 54–60. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Fouts , G., & Burggraf, K. (1999). Television situation comedies: Female body images and verbal reinforcements. Sex Roles, 40, 473–481. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Fouts , G., & Burggraf, K. (2000). Television situation comedies: Female weight, male negative comments, and audience reactions. Sex Roles, 42, 925–932. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Fredrickson , B. L., & Roberts, T. A. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women's lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173–206. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Garrow , J. S., & Webster, B. S. (1985). Quetelet's Index (W/H 2 ) as a measure of fatness. International Journal of Obesity, 9, 147–153. Google Scholar -
Groesz , L. M., Levine, M. P., & Murnen, S. K. (2002). The effect of experimental presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31, 1–15. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Hall , C. C. I., & Crum, M. J. (1994). Women and “body-isms” in television beer commercials. Sex Roles, 31, 329–337. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Harrison , K. (1997). Does interpersonal attraction to thin media personalities promote eating disorders? Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 41, 478–500. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Harrison , K. (2000). Television viewing, fat stereotyping, body shape standards, and eating disorder symptomatology in grade school children. Communication Research, 27, 617–640. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Heinberg , L. J., & Thompson, J. K. (1992). The effect of figure size feedback (positive vs. negative) and target comparison group (particularistic vs. universalistic) on body image disturbance. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 12, 441–448. Google Scholar -
Heinberg , L. J., Thompson, J. K. (1995). Body image and televised images of thinness and attractiveness: A controlled laboratory investigation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 14, 325–338. Link, Google Scholar -
Heinberg , L. J., & Thompson, J. K., & Stormer, S. (1995). Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 17, 81–89. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Henderson-King , E., & Henderson-King, D. (1997). Media effects on women's body esteem: Social and individual difference factors. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27, 399–417. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Henderson-King , D., Henderson-King, E., & Hoffman L. (2001). Media images and women's self-evaluations: Social context and importance of attractiveness as mediators. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 1407–1416. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Malkin , A. R., Wornian, K., & Chrisler, J. C. (1999). Women and weight: Gendered messages on magazine covers. Sex Roles, 40, 647–655. Crossref, Google Scholar -
McCreary , D. R. & Sadava, S. W. (1999). Television viewing and self-perceived health, weight, and physical fitness: Evidence for the cultivation hypothesis. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29, 2342–2361. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Milkie , M. A. (1999). Social comparisons, reflected appraisals, and mass media: The impact of pervasive beauty images on black and white girls' self concepts. Social Psychology Quarterly, 62, 190–210. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Mills , J.S., Polivy, J., Herman, C.P., & Tiggemann, M. (2002). Effects of exposure to thin media images: Evidence of self-enhancement among restrained eaters. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1687–1699. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Ogden , J., & Mundray, K. (1996). The effect of the media on body satisfaction: The role of gender and size. European Eating Disorders Review, 4, 171–182. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Paxton , S. J., Schutz, H. K., Wertheim, E. H., & Muir, S.L. (1999). Friendship clique and peer influences on body image concerns, dietary restraint, extreme weight loss behaviors and binge eating in adolescent girls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 108, 255–266. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Pinhas , L., Toner, B. B., Ali, A., Garfinkel, P. E., & Stuckless, N. (1999). The effects of the ideal of female beauty on mood and body satisfaction. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 25, 223–226. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Pike , K. M., & Rodin, J. (1991). Mothers, daughters, and disordered eating. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 198–204. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Posavac , H. D., Posavac, S. S., & Posavac, E. J. (1998). Exposure to media images of female attractiveness and concern with body weight among young women. Sex Roles, 38, 187–201. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Posavac , H. D., Posavac, S. S., & Weigel, R. G. (2001). Reducing the impact of media images on women at risk for body image disturbance: Three targeted interventions. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 20, 324–340. Link, Google Scholar -
Reed , D. L., Thompson, J. K., Brannick, M. T., & Sacco, W. P. (1991). Development and validation of the Physical Appearance State and Trait Anxiety Scale (PASTAS). Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 5, 323–332. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Shaw , J. (1995). Effects of fashion magazines on body dissatisfaction and eating psychopathology in adolescent and adult females. European Eating Disorders Review, 3, 15–23. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Spitzer , B. L., Henderson, K. A., & Zivian, M. T. (1999). Gender differences in population versus media body sizes: A comparison over four decades. Sex Roles, 40, 545–565. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Stice , E., Mazotti, L., Krebs, M., & Martin, S. (1998). Predictors of adolescent dieting behaviors: A longitudinal study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 12, 195–205. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Stice , E., Schupak-Neuberg, E., Shaw, H. E., & Stein, R. I. (1994). Relation of media exposure to eating disorder symptomatology: An examination of mediating mechanisms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 836–840. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Stice , E., & Shaw, H. E. (1994). Adverse effects of the media portrayed thin-ideal on women and linkages to bulimic symptomatology. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 13, 288–308. Link, Google Scholar -
Stormer , S. M., & Thompson, J. K. (1996). Explanations of body image disturbance: A test of maturational status, negative verbal commentary, social comparison, and sociocultural hypotheses. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 19, 193–202. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Striegel-Moore , R., McAvay, G., & Rodin, J. (1986). Psychological and behavioural correlates of feeling fat in women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 5, 935–947. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Thompson , J. K., Coovert, M. D., Richards, K. J., Johnson, S., & Cattarin, J. (1995). Development of body image, eating disturbance, and general psychological functioning in female adolescents: Covariance structure modeling and longitudinal investigations. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18, 221–236. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Thompson , J. K., Heinberg, L. J., Altabe, M., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999). Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Google Scholar -
Thompson , J. K., Heinberg, L., & Tantleff, S. (1991). The Physical Appearance Comparision Scale. The Behavior Therapist, 14, 174. Google Scholar -
Thompson , J. K., & Stice, E. (2001). Thin-ideal internalization: Mounting evidence for a new risk factor for body-image disturbance and eating pathology. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10, 181–183. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Thornton , B., & Maurice, J. K. (1999). Physical attractiveness contrast effect and the moderating influence of self-consciousness. Sex Roles, 40, 379–392. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Tiggemann , M. (1997). Dieting in moderation: The role of dietary restraint in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and psychological well-being. Journal of Health Psychology, 2, 501–507. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Tiggemann , M. (2002). Media influences on body image development. In T.F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research and clinical practice. New York: Guilford. Google Scholar -
Tiggemann , M., Gardiner, M., & Slater, A. (2000). “I would rather be a size 10 than have straight A's”: A focus group study of adolescent girls' wish to be thinner. Journal of Adolescence, 23, 645–659. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Tiggemann , M., & Lynch, J. E. (2001). Body image across the life span in adult women: The role of self-objectification. Developmental Psychology, 37, 243–253. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Wegner , B. S., Hartmann, A. M., & Geist, C. R. (2000). Effect of exposure to photographs of thin models on self-consciousness in female college students. Psychological Reports, 86, 1149–1154. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Wertheim , D. H., Paxton, S. J., Schutz, H. K., & Muir, S. L. (1997). Why do adolescent girls watch their weight? An interview study examining sociocultural pressures to be thin. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 42, 345–355. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Wilcox , K., & Laird, J. D. (2000). The impact of media images of super-slender women on women's self-esteem: Identification, social comparison, and self-perception. Journal of Research in Personality, 34, 278–286. Crossref, Google Scholar -
Wiseman , M. A., Gray, J. J., Mosimann, J. E., & Ahrens, A. H. (1992). Cultural expectations of thinness in women: An update. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 11, 85–89. Crossref, Google Scholar