Importance Placed on Physical Attractiveness and Advertisement-Inspired Social Comparison Behavior Among Japanese Female and Male Teenagers

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to examine advertisement-inspired social comparison behavior among Japanese female and male teenagers. It was found that both females and males compared themselves with models in advertisements, although females engaged in the behavior more than males. Significant associations were also found between ad-inspired comparison behavior and the importance placed on physical attractiveness in social roles as well as the acceptance of artificial means of enhancing appearance. Public self-consciousness was the primary psychological construct found to be driving ad-inspired social comparison behavior.

Design and development of an immersive virtual reality news application: a case study of the SARS event

“…Attitude is typically divided into three independent aspects [ 7 ], that is, cognitive, affective, and conative. This “cognitive-affective-conative” (CAC) framework has been widely used in communication studies [ 5 , 18 , 19 , 26 , 27 , 33 ] to measure audiences’ attitudes; therefore, this study also measured the media effects of immersive VR news using this framework.…”

Identity (Re)construction through sharing: A study of mother and teenage daughter dyads in France and Japan

“…They consider that maintaining their position within the family, as well as clearly distinguishing between generations, are two essential conditions for managing family life. In Japanese culture where physical appearance is valued (Luther, 2009), clothing is a relevant indicator of the position occupied by mothers both within the family and within wider society. Yuko (54, J , table 2) admits that she deliberately tries to maintain her authoritative position in relation to her daughter.…”

“…Self-synchronization means "to be contemporary with", which refers to mothers' aspirations to align themselves with the current state of society, or "keeping up with the times" (Schau et al, 2009, p. 270). Both mass media and societal values highlight that physical appearance is highly important in Japan (Luther, 2009). Because Japanese mothers report feeling the social pressure to keep up with the newest trends in the field of fashion that reflect age-based group norms, they refuse to share clothes with their daughters; they prefer giving or lending clothes rather than borrowing.…”

Why is low waist-to-chest ratio attractive in males? The mediating roles of perceived dominance, fitness, and protection ability

“…Indeed, research provides evidence that definitions of ideal male physical attractiveness, as portrayed by the media, have changed in recent decades to become leaner and more muscular (i.e., broader chests and narrower waists), and thus more V-shaped, in both the United States and Japan (Darling-Wolf, 2004;Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2009;Leit, Pope, & Gray, 2001;Luther, 2009;Mishkind, Rodin, Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1986;Pope, Olivardia, Borowiecki, & Cohane, 2001;Spitzer, Henderson, & Zivian, 1999). Further, evidence supporting the notion that male body preferences are culturally driven has been obtained (e.g., Heron-Delaney, Quinn, Lee, Slater, & Pascalis, 2013).…”