What question did this study set out to answer?

To document and quantify historical shifts toward a thinner cultural ideal of female body shape and assess trends in media-promoted dieting.

October 1, 1980Psychological Reports

Cultural Expectations of Thinness in Women

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

DGDavid M. GarnerOxford Brookes University PGPaul E. GarfinkelClark College DSDonald M. SchwartzHarvard University

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Trend analysis reveals a progressive shift toward thinner female body ideals alongside rising diet coverage, highlighting potential drivers of increasing eating disorder rates.

Key Points

To document and quantify historical shifts toward a thinner cultural ideal of female body shape and assess trends in media-promoted dieting.
Assessed physical measurements and body shape metrics of Playboy centerfolds and Miss America Pageant contestants across a 20-year period.
Quantified the frequency of diet-related articles published in six popular women's magazines over the same two decades.
Evaluated observed media trends relative to epidemiological data on changing population weight norms for young women.
Centerfold models and pageant contestants exhibited a statistically significant longitudinal trend toward a thinner ideal body size over the 20-year span.
Diet articles published in women's magazines increased significantly over the evaluation period despite contrary upward shifts in average population weight norms.

Cite This Study

Garner et al. (1980) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a0f4cf1853d174eb2ed0e81 https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1980.47.2.483

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Trend analysis reveals a progressive shift toward thinner female body ideals alongside rising diet coverage, highlighting potential drivers of increasing eating disorder rates.

Cultural Expectations of Thinness in Women

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Cultural Expectations of Thinness in Women

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider