6
Body Dissatisfaction
Eating or not eating food can cause changes in the body’s size and shape. Worry
about such changes constitutes weight concern, which has generated a wealth
of work and interest over the past few decades. One form of weight concern
is body dissatisfaction, and this has been studied in terms of the development
of a range of measures, research into the prevalence of the problem, and an
analysis of its causes and consequences. This chapter explores body dissatisfac-
tion and draws upon both the descriptive and experimental literatures.
This chapter covers the following:
- What is body dissatisfaction?
- Who is dissatisfied with their body?
- Causes of body dissatisfaction
- Consequences of body dissatisfaction
What Is Body Dissatisfaction?
Body image has been defined as “the picture of our own body which we
form in our mind” (Schilder, 1950), but has also been used to describe
perceptions of bodily boundaries, a sense of attractiveness, and the per-
ception of bodily sensations. Over the past few decades researchers, journal-
ists, and broadcasters have become interested in one facet of body image,
body dissatisfaction. Magazines contain questionnaires on “How happy are
you with your body?” and television programs feature women (and some
men) describing how they wish they could be thinner/be taller/have larger
breasts or be more muscular. Body dissatisfaction comes in many forms.
It has been defined in a range of ways and subsequently measured using
a range of techniques. Comprehensive overviews of the measurement of