TY - JOUR PY - 2009// TI - Muscular ideal media images and men's body image: Social comparison processing and individual vulnerability JO - Psychology of men and masculinity A1 - Tiggemann, Marika A1 - Hargreaves, Duane A. SP - 109 EP - 119 VL - 10 IS - 2 N2 - The study aimed to investigate the role of social comparison processes in men's responses to images of muscular-ideal male beauty. A sample of 104 male university students viewed either 15 television commercials containing images of men who epitomize the current muscular ideal, or 15 nonappearance commercials containing no such images. Body satisfaction was assessed immediately before and after commercial viewing. Appearance evaluation and orientation were also examined as moderating variables. It was found that exposure to muscular-ideal television commercials led to lower muscle satisfaction and physical attractiveness than nonappearance commercials, with men high on appearance orientation the most vulnerable. Men high on appearance orientation also engaged in greater upward social comparison to muscular-ideal images which, in turn, predicted changes in body satisfaction. Taken together, the findings provide consistent evidence for a role for media images in men's body image.

LA - SN - 1524-9220 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0014691 ID - ref1 ER -