The impact of advertisements featuring ultra‐thin or average‐size models on women with a history of eating disorders

By Emma Halliwell, H. Dittmar, Jessica R. Howe. 2005

103 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Previous research demonstrates that exposure to ultra-thin media models leads to increased body image concerns amongst women (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002). There is emerging evidence that attractive, average-size models do not have this negative effect and can be effective in advertising (e.g. Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004). The present study investigates these factors amongst women with a history of eating disorders. Participants either viewed advertisements featuring ultra-thin, average-size or control images. Immediately after exposure, they reported their body-focused anxiety and rated the effectiveness of the advertisements. Whereas exposure to ultra-thin models did not lead to increased body-focused anxiety, exposure to average-size models produced a relief effect, whereby women reported lower levels of body-focused anxiety. Advertisements featuring ultra-thin and average-size models were equally effective. The results suggest that average-size, attractive models could be used effectively in advertising, which may help to relieve body image concerns amongst these women. Copyright # 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/dac5e9ac3decc52187a4ce1b2711393bdcf25b12

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Citations in the corpus

The Costs of Consumer Culture and the “Cage Within”: The Impact of the Material “Good Life” and “Body Perfect” Ideals on Individuals” Identity and Well-Being (2007, background): “Exposure to advertisements featuring attractive models with a healthy body size did not increase women’s body dissatisfaction, and even led to an improvement in body image in some women, including those with an eating disorder history (Halliwell, Dittmar, and Howe, 2005).”
The role of ideal self-congruence and brand attachment in consumers’ negative behaviour: Compulsive buying and external trash-talking (2018, background): “Advertisements featuring thin models are related to adolescent girls’ body dissatisfaction and eating disorders (Halliwell et al., 2005; Bell et al., 2007).”
Self-congruence, brand attachment and compulsive buying (2017, background): “For instance, advertisements featuring thin or ‘under-weight’ models are related to adolescent girls’ body dissatisfaction and eating disorders (Halliwell et al., 2005; Bell et al., 2007).”