The Psychology of Eating: From Healthy to Disordered Behavior

The Meaning of Size 87

to the influence of gay culture (O’Kelly, 1994), and a change from a
muscular physique to one that is “slimmed down – the male waif ” can be
seen. Further, male models have become increasingly hairless, well toned,
and narrow hipped. Men, therefore, have also become the focus of the media,
and the male body is increasingly used in films and advertising as an erotic
encouragement to purchase whatever product is being offered. In line with
their analysis of Barbie, researchers have also examined the body dimensions
of Ken. They showed that in order to look like Ken, the average healthy
male would have to be 20 inches taller, make his chest 11 inches larger, and
make his neck 7.9 inches thicker (Brownell and Napolitano, 1995).

Associations with physical characteristics

If men and women are being presented differently by the media, then this
may influence the ways in which men and women are thought about. Further,
if women are being presented as increasingly thin and men as increasingly
muscular, this too may impact upon our conceptualization of what it means
to be female or male. Central to this process is the development of stereo-
types, which play an important role in the ways in which individuals make
sense of their world. They are essential to the efficient assimilation of large
amounts of new information and are fundamental to interpersonal percep-
tion and communication. Stereotypes involve a network of associations
between physical traits, which can be easily observed, and personality traits,
social roles, and behaviors, which can only be inferred. Two physical
characteristics which have been shown to generate powerful associations
are sex and body size.

The Meaning of Sex

Stereotypes based on sex involve the assumption that individuals from
the same sex have more in common than those from different sexes. The
classic studies of sex role stereotypes were carried in the 1960s and 1970s
and involved questionnaires consisting of pairs of adjectives such as passive/
activeand submissive/dominant. Participants were asked to rate a range of
hypothetical people for these characteristics, including a “normal man” and
a “normal female,” and then to rate a range of people with differing ethnic
and religious backgrounds. The results showed clear consistency for the hypo-
thetical man and woman, indicating the existence of stereotypical beliefs.