Idealised idols and body dysmorphic vulnerability in adolescent K-pop fans: do body image disturbances and self-objectification play a role?

This study investigated the relationship between celebrity worship and body dysmorphic symptoms among 1,081 adolescent female K-pop fans. We examined body image disturbance and self-objectification as mediators. Participants completed the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-Self report, the Celebrity Attitude Scale-23, the Self-Objectification Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-AS. The structural equation model demonstrated significant direct and indirect pathways among the study variables, confirming the mediating roles of both variables and the overall adequacy of model fit. This suggests that intense identification with celebrities is associated with heightened vulnerability to body dysmorphic symptoms among adolescents, reflecting the internalisation of unrealistic beauty ideals and appearance-focused cognitive and emotional processes, particularly in cultures that emphasise feminine beauty. Interventions that enhance media literacy and critical thinking about beauty norms are essential, especially as societal structures intensify appearance-related pressures.