Male Body-Satisfaction and Ideal Body Images in the Media: A Positive Intervention

Growing evidence suggests that media images of ideal female and male body-types have a negative impact on body-satisfaction (Galioto & Crowther, 2013; Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002; Hargreaves & Tiggeman, 2009; Hobza et al., 2007). Therefore, discovering ways to raise body-satisfaction after it has been lowered as a result of viewing media images may be an important area of research. This study sought to discover whether males receiving a positive intervention after looking at images of ideal male body-types would differ from males receiving no positive intervention after looking at these images in terms of body-satisfaction. This study also aimed to replicate previous research that has found a correlation between likelihood of engaging in social comparison and body-satisfaction after viewing media images of ideal male body-types. Results indicated no difference between those who received the positive intervention and those who did not on body-satisfaction scores. There was a significant negative correlation between social comparison orientation (SCO) and body-satisfaction. Future research should be conducted to discover if there is an intervention that may help raise men’s body-satisfaction as well as look into possible moderating effects of SCO on body-satisfaction between those who receive an intervention and those who do not