Media Comparisons and Threats to Body Image: Seeking Evidence of Self-Affirmation

Studies investigating the media's impact on body image find that comparing oneself to thin models in the media results in body image disturbance. However, very little is known about the processes individuals use to cope with the threat to self caused by viewing images of thin women. This study sought to determine if larger women—those whose bodies are more discrepant from those of very thin women—rate dimensions of self unrelated to appearance as being more important after media exposure. One hundred eighty-one college women served as participants. Results confirmed the idea that certain women engage in affirmation processes after a media-induced threat to self. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of self-affirmation theory and its potential use as a preventative intervention for media-induced body image disturbance among women.