The role of idealised image features in determining post-exposure body image and social comparisons

This research examined the role that idealised image characteristics have indetermining post-exposure body image and amount of self-reported socialcomparisons. This was tested by exposing female undergraduate students to media-portrayed idealised images that varied in their level of relevance, salience,or attainability. A negative impact of these images was indicated by greater post-exposure body dissatisfaction and body size estimation inaccuracy. In contrast, apositive impact was considered to have occurred when body dissatisfactiondecreased and body size estimation was more accurate. If the images had aneutral impact on body image, one would expect little difference between groupsor over time. A further aim was to determine whether a higher level of traittendency to compare was related to more negative responding at post-exposure.In addition, thin ideal internalisation and restraint were examined as possiblemoderators. Studies 1, 2a, 2b, and 3 indicated that idealised image relevance andsalience had little differential impact on post-exposure body image. That is,exposure to thin idealised images, irrespective of the salience and relevancemanipulations, resulted in similar post-exposure body dissatisfaction and bodysize estimation. In contrast to this, the attainability of the image seemed toinfluence post-exposure responding, at least in terms of body size estimation(Study 4). Higher trait tendency to compare was associated with a greater amountof self-reported comparison with the images, but had little impact on body image.Surprisingly, these results were not moderated by thin ideal internalisation orrestraint. The role of individual differences was explored with additional analysesin Study 5, which revealed that, when the power is sufficient, thin idealinternalisation, restraint, and self-reported comparisons with the images predictedpost-exposure body dissatisfaction, but not body size estimation. Overall, thisprogram of research suggests that idealised image features do not play a vitaldifferential role in determining post-exposure body image, unless it is the bodyitself that is being manipulated. Results from this research support the idea thatthe mere presence of an idealised body is sufficient to activate negative responses,and there was little, if any, evidence for the occurrence of positive responses.These findings are discussed in terms of social comparison and schema theory,and in terms of their practical implications