Isabelle Mischner

i.mischner@pwo.ru.nl

Title project:
How beauty ideals influence our self-appraisal: effects of media on body image

Abstract:
Many women in the Western world are dissatisfied with their bodies. This is of great concern, given the relationship between body dissatisfaction and the development of eating disorders, social phobias and depression. One of the major contributors to body image dissatisfaction is the extremely thin beauty ideal that is promoted by the media. Although this ideal is unrealistic, unhealthy and unattainable for most women, women feel pressurized to live up to this ideal, feel themselves lacking and experience negative affect. Indeed, numerous studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects thin-ideal media have on women’s body image. However, not all women are negatively affected by the thin-ideal. For some women the thin-ideal works inspiring, leading to more positive self-evaluations. But what are the individual characteristics that determine whether you are positively or negatively affected by thin-ideal media?

This study investigates the effect of thin-ideal music video exposure on women’s self-perception*, in relation to self-esteem. Does thin-ideal exposure influence the way women perceive their own body? Do they perceive themselves as being bigger than before or do they prefer a thinner ideal body? And what is the role of self-esteem?

*Self-perception will be assessed using (horizontally stretched) photographs of the participant’s own body in swimming garment.