Absorbing Society’s Influence: Body Image Self-Discrepancy and Internalized Shame

Abstract

In this study, we examined how injunctive cultural norms concerning body image are perceived by women, assessed the degree of body shame that occurs when an individual sees herself as differing from the cultural standard, and measured the extent to which the internalization of this standard as a personal ideal may influence the experience of body-related shame. Female college students (N = 687) completed measures of body shame and two types of body image self-discrepancyactual:own ideal (AI) and actual:societal ought (ASO). Selfdiscrepancies were determined by subtracting participants' ideal and ought estimates from their actual body shape perception. AI was found to mediate the relationship between ASO and shame, which suggests that the internalization of body ideals may be an important antecedent to emotional consequences from cultural norms.

Beyond Thinness: The Influence of a Curvaceous Body Ideal on Body Dissatisfaction in Black and White Women

“…As socio-cultural theory highlights, unrealistic standards of beauty often become a comparison point against women's own evaluation of their physical attractiveness (Jackson 2002;Myers and Biocca 1992). Moreover, when women evaluate themselves against media ideals of unattainable beauty standards and find a discrepancy between their own attractiveness and that of an idealized image, the consequences can be costly (Bessenoff and Snow 2006). Because most research has focused on thin idealization as the comparison point through which many women judge their appearance, studies have found that negative evaluations of one's body in relation to the thin ideal is associated with a multitude of adverse psychological consequences such as depression, disordered eating patterns, and low self-esteem (Ackard et al 2002;Stice and Shaw 2002;Webster and Tiggemann 2003).…”

Body-Related Self-Conscious Emotions Relate to Physical Activity Motivation and Behavior in Men

“…Such strategies may be helpful in transforming shame about the body into a sense of acceptance and even pride (Sanftner & Tantillo, 2011). Based on the process model of self-conscious emotions (Tracy & Robins, 2004) and empirical work (Bessenoff & Snow, 2006;Castonguay et al, 2012), interventions may also focus on manipulating cognitive appraisals that elicit shame. That is, men could be encouraged to hold realistic expectations of their bodies to lessen the difference between their actual and ideal body.…”

Women, Weight, and Age: Social Comparison to Magazine Images Across the Lifespan

“…Given that women gain weight as they age from young adulthood to middle age (Ogden, Fryar, Carroll, & Flegal, 2004;Tiggemann, 1992), they tend to become even further from the media's ideal body size and shape (Garner, Garfinkel, Schwartz, & Thompson, 1980;Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001). A comparison between a larger body and the thin media ideal should produce greater body shame and body dissatisfaction than that from a smaller body (e.g., Bessenoff & Snow, 2006). In addition, adult women report media influence similar to reports of younger women (Green & Pritchard, 2003), and aging women are judged more harshly by society than aging men are (Wilcox, 1997).…”