The effects of the ideal of female beauty on mood and body satisfaction

Int J Eat Disord. 1999 Mar;25(2):223-6. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199903)25:2<223::aid-eat12>3.0.co;2-b.

Abstract

Objective: The present study examined changes in women's mood states resulting from their viewing pictures in fashion magazines of models who represent a thin ideal.

Method: Female university students completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Body Parts Satisfaction Scale (BPSS), and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). They were then exposed to 20 slides; the experimental group (N = 51) viewed images of female fashion models and a control group (N = 67) viewed slides containing no human figures. All subjects then completed the POMS and the BPSS again.

Results: Women were more depressed (R2 = 0.745, p < .05) and more angry (R2 = 0.73, p < .01) following exposure to slides of female fashion models.

Discussion: Viewing images of female fashion models had an immediate negative effect on women's mood. This study, therefore, supports the hypothesis that media images do play a role in disordered eating.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Advertising*
  • Affect*
  • Beauty
  • Body Image*
  • Body Mass Index
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / etiology*
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mass Media