How do "Body Perfect" Ideals In tHe MedIa Have a negatIve IMPact on Body IMage and BeHavIors? factors and Processes related to self and IdentIty

By H. Dittmar. 2009

176 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Body image has emerged as a core aspect of mental and physical well-being. Informed by sociocultural theory, a rapidly growing body of research addresses the question of whether body perfect ideals in the mass media are a core risk factor for negative body image, particularly in women. This work has moved beyond assessments of whether or not negative exposure effects occur so that significant progress has been made toward identifying diverse factors that make individuals more or less vulnerable to body perfect ideals in the media. This special issue examines and extends this work in various ways. It offers a critical analysis of the evidence base for a causal link between media and body image. It presents new findings which support a qualified and complex picture of media effects or influences, highlighting the importance not only of individual differences, but also psychological processes, related to self and identity. Thus, it aims to contribute toward a more theoretically informed understanding of vulnerability factors through a focus on self, identification with the thin ideal, and related processes.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Gender Studies, Marketing

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/36470ed90fd32cb5f04d1a761d83b4833a65a09f

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In Clinical Psychology

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Citations in the corpus

Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research (2014, background): “Mass media have been implicated as an especially significant source of influence of these perceptions (Dittmar 2009).”
Influence of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disordered Attitudes and Behaviors in Females: A Review of Effects and Processes (2010, background): “…research on the processes and mechanisms that constitute risk and protective factors in regard to the effects of the media on attitudes and behaviors related to body image and eating behavior in females (Dittmar, 2009; Harrison & Hefner, 2008; Levine & Harrison, 2004; 2009; Levine & Murnen, 2009).”