TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of thin models in music videos on adolescent girls' body dissatisfaction
AU - Bell, Beth T.
AU - Lawton, Rebecca
AU - Dittmar, Helga
PY - 2007/6
Y1 - 2007/6
N2 - Music videos are a particularly influential, new form of mass media for adolescents, which include the depiction of scantily clad female models whose bodies epitomise the ultra-thin sociocultural ideal for young women. The present study is the first exposure experiment that examines the impact of thin models in music videos on the body dissatisfaction of 16-19-year-old adolescent girls (n = 87). First, participants completed measures of positive and negative affect, body image, and self-esteem. Under the guise of a memory experiment, they then either watched three music videos, listened to three songs (from the videos), or learned a list of words. Affect and body image were assessed afterwards. In contrast to the music listening and word-learning conditions, girls who watched the music videos reported significantly elevated scores on an adaptation of the Body Image States Scale after exposure, indicating increased body dissatisfaction. Self-esteem was not found to be a significant moderator of this relationship. Implications and future research are discussed.
AB - Music videos are a particularly influential, new form of mass media for adolescents, which include the depiction of scantily clad female models whose bodies epitomise the ultra-thin sociocultural ideal for young women. The present study is the first exposure experiment that examines the impact of thin models in music videos on the body dissatisfaction of 16-19-year-old adolescent girls (n = 87). First, participants completed measures of positive and negative affect, body image, and self-esteem. Under the guise of a memory experiment, they then either watched three music videos, listened to three songs (from the videos), or learned a list of words. Affect and body image were assessed afterwards. In contrast to the music listening and word-learning conditions, girls who watched the music videos reported significantly elevated scores on an adaptation of the Body Image States Scale after exposure, indicating increased body dissatisfaction. Self-esteem was not found to be a significant moderator of this relationship. Implications and future research are discussed.
KW - Adolescent girls
KW - Body dissatisfaction
KW - Music videos
KW - Thin ideal
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34249667558&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.02.003
DO - 10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.02.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 18089259
AN - SCOPUS:34249667558
SN - 1740-1445
VL - 4
SP - 137
EP - 145
JO - Body Image
JF - Body Image
IS - 2
ER -