Self-Objectification, Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating: Exploring the Effects of Exposure to Idealized Body Images

Abstract

In today’s culture, women and young girls are pressured to have slim bodies in accordance with culturally idealized standards. This study aimed to explore the effect of watching media-idealized body images on young women’s eating behavior. We tested the effects of having high versus low self-objectification on individuals’ food consumption, and if the effects were influenced by initial levels of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating habits. 49 female university students participated in this experiment. They watched television advertisements that either featured or did not feature media-idealized body images in them. Eating behavior was examined during a movie-watching task in which some marginally significant outcomes were observed. The results showed that individuals with high self-objectification ate more after being exposed to idealized body images. Among high self-objectifiers, individuals with higher levels of body dissatisfaction ate less food after exposure, but those with high body dissatisfaction and dieting habits were actually more likely to increase their food consumption after watching idealized body images. The results suggest that exposure to idealized body images can affect the eating behavior of individuals with high self-objectification, and that their initial levels of body satisfaction and dietary restraint impact whether they will eat more or less.