"Eating lightly" and the self-presentation of femininity.

Abstract

In Experiment 1, male and female subjects were given an opportunity to snack as they participated in a "get-acquainted study" with a same-sex or opposite-sex partner (confederate) whose social desirability was manipulated. Consistent with the hypothesis that women may eat less when motivated to present themselves in a feminine light, female subjects ate significantly less with a desirable male partner than in the remaining three conditions. In contrast, male subjects did not eat more (or less) with a desirable woman, although they did show an overall tendency to eat less with female (vs. male) partners. In Experiment 2, female subjects snacked as they got acquainted with a desirable male partner (confederate). Before this interaction, subjects received feedback indicating that they had either very masculine or very feminine interests. In addition, subjects believed either that their male partner was aware of their gender feedback or that he was unaware. Consistent with predictions derived from Schlenker's (1982) analytic-identity theory of social conduct, subjects in the partner-aware conditions ate less when they had received masculine (vs. feminine) feedback, whereas subjects in the partner-unaware conditions ate less when they had received feminine (vs. masculine) feedback. Implications for understanding eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are discussed.

Distraction, the desire to eat and food intake. Towards an expanded model of mindless eating

“…This may be a result of impression management and the desire to be seen in a positive light in front of strangers (Leary & Kowalski, 1990;Tice et al, 1995). Mori, Chaiken & Pliner (1987), however, argued that impression management is just as likely to take place between familiar companions of the opposite sex, especially if they find each other desirable. SimilarIy, Wansink and Park (2000) reported that whereas women decrease their food intake as an attempt to appear more feminine, men consider overeating to be a sign of masculinity and power.…”

Self-discrepancies and vulnerability to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.

“…Despite increasing research addressing the etiology of these problems, it remains unclear what psychological characteristics represent precursors of pathological eating behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). Nonetheless, a sizable literature implicates sociocultural (e.g., Boskind-Lodahl, 1976;Rodin, Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1985), social cognitive (e.g., Mori, Chaiken, & Pliner, 1987;Polivy, Herman, Jazwinski, & Olmsted, 1984), and psychodynamic (e.g., Bruch, 1973Bruch, , 1982 factors as precursors of eating-related problems.Researchers and clinicians have implicated the self-concept in vulnerability to appearance-related and eating-related difficulties (Cash & Green, 1986;Markus, Hamill, & Sentis, 1987). Self-concept deficiencies may contribute significantly to the development of the negative self-evaluation, misperceptions of internal emotional and somatic states, and disturbed eating patterns characteristic of these syndromes (Mori et al, 1987).…”

“…Nonetheless, a sizable literature implicates sociocultural (e.g., Boskind-Lodahl, 1976;Rodin, Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1985), social cognitive (e.g., Mori, Chaiken, & Pliner, 1987;Polivy, Herman, Jazwinski, & Olmsted, 1984), and psychodynamic (e.g., Bruch, 1973Bruch, , 1982 factors as precursors of eating-related problems.…”

“…Despite increasing research addressing the etiology of these problems, it remains unclear what psychological characteristics represent precursors of pathological eating behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). Nonetheless, a sizable literature implicates sociocultural (e.g., Boskind-Lodahl, 1976;Rodin, Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1985), social cognitive (e.g., Mori, Chaiken, & Pliner, 1987;Polivy, Herman, Jazwinski, & Olmsted, 1984), and psychodynamic (e.g., Bruch, 1973Bruch, , 1982 factors as precursors of eating-related problems.…”

Does Service Employees’ Appearance Affect the Healthiness of Food Choice?

“…Generally, the presence of a noneating observer leads to suppression of food intake (Herman, Polivy, & Roth, 2003). Studies on impression management with eating companions also show that unfamiliarity (Tice, Butler, Muraven, & Stillwell, 1995), opposite gender, attractiveness (Mori, Chaiken, & Pliner, 1987), and the weight of the co-actors (de Luca & Spigelman, 1979) increase the suppression of food intake even further, because these factors increase impression motivation (Leary & Kowalski, 1990), that is, the desire to present the self favorably.…”