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

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.