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The attractive female body weight and female body dissatisfaction in 26 countries across 10 world regions : results of the international body project 1

journal contribution
posted on 2010-03-01, 00:00 authored by V Swami, D Frederick, T Aavik, L Alcalay, J Allik, D Anderson, S Andrianto, A Arvind, A Brannstrom, J Cunningham, D Danel, K Doroszewicz, G Forbes, A Furnham, C Greven, J Halberstadt, S Hao, T Haubner, C Hwang, M Inman, J Jaafar, J Johannsson, J Jung, A Keser, U Kretzschmar, L Lachenicht, N Li, K Locke, J E Lonnqvist, C Lopex, L Loutzenhiser, N Maisel, M McCabe, D McCreary, W McKibbin, Alexander MussapAlexander Mussap, F Neto, C Nowell, L Alampay, S Pillai, A Pokrajac-Bulian, R Proyer, K Quintelier, L Ricciardelli, M Rozmus-Wrzesinska, W Ruch, T Russo, A Schutz, T Shackelford, S Shashidharan, F Simonetti, D Sinniah, M Swami, G Vandermassen, M van Duynslaeger, M Verkasalo, M Voracek, C Yee, E Zhang, X Zhang, I Zivcic-Becirevic
This study reports results from the first International Body Project (IBP-I), which surveyed 7,434 individuals in 10 major world regions about body weight ideals and body dissatisfaction. Participants completed the female Contour Drawing Figure Rating Scale (CDFRS) and self-reported their exposure to Western and local media. Results indicated there were significant cross-regional differences in the ideal female figure and body dissatisfaction, but effect sizes were small across highsocioeconomic-status (SES) sites. Within cultures, heavier bodies were preferred in low-SES sites compared to high-SES sites in Malaysia and South Africa (ds = 1.94-2.49) but not in Austria. Participant age, body mass index (BMI), and Western media exposure predicted body weight ideals. BMI and Western media exposure predicted body dissatisfaction among women. Our results show that body dissatisfaction and desire for thinness is commonplace in high-SES settings across world regions, highlighting the need for international attention to this problem.

History

Journal

Personality and social psychology bulletin

Volume

36

Issue

3

Pagination

309 - 325

Publisher

Sage Publications, Inc

Location

Thousand Oaks, Calif.

ISSN

0146-1672

eISSN

1552-7433

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal article

Copyright notice

2010, Sage Publishers