108 Body Dissatisfaction
Posavac et al. (2001) highlighted the impact of social comparison processes.
Ogden and Sherwood (2009) explored whether the impact of exposure to
media images of thin or fatter women could be minimized if participants
were shown the extent to which airbrushing can change how women look.
Participants were therefore shown images of either thin or fatter women,
and then those in the intervention group were also shown an intervention
based upon a website which shows how airbrushing can improve complexion,
make waists narrower, and make breasts larger. The results showed that,
in line with previous research, seeing the thin images made women more
critical of their bodies. However, this effect was much reduced if they had
been taught about the power of airbrushing. Therefore, although women
may be influenced by the media, it would seem that they can also be taught
to be more critical of the images it provides.
However, is the effect of the media the only explanation of body dis-
satisfaction? Are women (and sometimes men) simply passive victims of
the whims of the media? Body dissatisfaction also comes from a range of
additional sources.
Culture
Research has also examined the impact of an individual’s culture on body
dissatisfaction, with a particular focus on their ethnicity and their social
class. It has been suggested that being from a higher class, white, Asian, or
black may relate to developing body dissatisfaction. However, as described
above, this research is contradictory, with some research indicating that
body dissatisfaction relates to one ethnic group or one class and other research
showing either the reverse or no relationship. It has also been argued that
moving from one culture to another may also be predictive. For example,
Mumford, Whitehouse, and Platts (1991) described a role for acculturation,
and argued that body dissatisfaction may emerge as one group attempts
to acculturate to its new environment (see chapter 10 for a discussion of
acculturation and eating disorders). To date, research exploring the role
of culture is limited and conclusions are only tentative.
The family
Research has also focused on the impact of the family in predicting body
dissatisfaction. In particular, it has highlighted a role for the mother and
suggested that mothers who are dissatisfied with their own bodies com-
municate this to their daughters, resulting in the daughter’s own body dis-
satisfaction. For example, Hall and Brown (1982) reported that mothers