Body Image, Appearance Self‐Schema, and Media Images

This study examines the effects of women's appearance self‐schemas and exposure to attractive media images on body image, self‐esteem, and mood. Women's response to media images was expected to vary according to an individual difference variable, appearance self‐schema, or cognitive representations of organized information about the self in relation to appearance. College women volunteers ( N = 168) were divided into two groups (schematic and aschematic) on the basis of appearance self‐schema; half of each group was exposed to photos of attractive images, whereas the other half was not exposed to any images before completing measures of body image, self‐esteem, and mood. Women who are schematic on appearance exhibited lower body image, lower self‐esteem, and more negative mood than did those who are aschematic on appearance. Neither exposure to media images in conjunction with appearance self‐schema nor exposure alone affected response on body image, self‐esteem, and mood.