Abstract
The present study tested the direct effect of watching thin-ideal focused television aimed at (young) adults on body dissatisfaction in preadolescent girls (9-12 years old). A within-subject design was used in which the girls (N=60) were tested three times. They watched three movie clips in random order that were either focused explicitly (thin-ideal program) or indirectly (soap opera) on the thin ideal or were neutral in content. Afterwards, they filled out questionnaires concerning their body dissatisfaction. Only older preadolescent girls (11-12 years old) showed greater body dissatisfaction after watching the thin-ideal focused television clip than after watching the neutral television clip. After watching thin-ideal focused television, they desired a thinner body figure than after watching neutral television. The findings imply that watching (adult) thin-ideal television directly affects the ideal body figure in older preadolescent girls.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 26-33 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Body Image |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2011 |
Keywords
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Body Image
- Body Mass Index
- Child
- Female
- Humans
- Imitative Behavior
- Male
- Obesity
- Overweight
- Personal Satisfaction
- Self Concept
- Socialization
- Television
- Thinness
- Young Adult
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't