Development and Validation of the Female Muscularity Scale

Negative psychological correlates of the pursuit of muscularity among women

“…The drive to enhance the visibility of muscle may precipitate unhealthy cognitions and behaviors where fat loss is a primary goal (Lavender et al, ). Indeed, our results are consistent with similar research demonstrating a positive relationship between the excessive pursuit toward muscularity and traditional ED symptoms among men (Murray et al, ), and a relationship between the desire to be more toned and a drive for thinness among women (Rodgers et al, ). Although muscular ideals differ between men and women (e.g., hypertrophy in men vs. muscle tone in women), the underlying attitude of idealizing an unattainable body shape is associated with ED pathology in both men and women.…”

“…It is also possible that the relationship between drive for muscularity and ED symptoms would have been stronger if a more context‐appropriate ED self‐report instrument had been utilized. The drives for muscularity and thinness are correlated among women (e.g., Girard, Rodgers, & Chabrol, ; Rodgers et al, ). This may reflect the common goal of reducing body fat to reach their respective idealized appearances, and help explain their relationships with thinness‐oriented ED pathology.…”

“…We measured female drive for muscularity using the 10‐item Female Muscularity Scale (FMS; Rodgers et al, ). Items comprise two subscales: attitudes (referring to the desire for a toned/tight appearance; e.g., “ I wish I were more toned ”) and behaviors (engagement in behaviors aimed at modifying appearance and increasing muscularity and tone; e.g., “ I exercise to try and look fit and sculpted ”).…”

“…Higher total scores reflect a higher drive for muscularity. The FMS demonstrates sound psychometric properties among university women including high internal consistency ( α 's ranged .89–.90) and test–retest reliability ( r = .82; Rodgers et al, ). Cronbach alphas for all measures in our study are reported in Table .…”

“…However, shifts in women's appearance ideals toward greater muscular leanness bring about new research questions regarding the potential costs of pursuing these ideals. For example, Rodgers et al () recently found associations between the desire to be toned with body image concerns and a drive for thinness among college women, both of which are important risk factors for eating‐disorder (ED) pathology (McLean & Paxton, ; Sharpe et al, ). Given that a crucial aspect of the toned ideal is possessing minimal body fat to enhance the visibility of muscularity, it is reasonable to suspect women with a desire to increase muscle tone may engage in ED behaviors to reduce adiposity (e.g., caloric restriction; Murray, Griffiths, & Mond, ).…”