The appearance culture between friends and adolescent appearance‐based rejection sensitivity

Abstract

Appearance-based rejection sensitivity (appearance-RS) is the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to signs of rejection based on one's appearance, and is associated with a number of psychological and social problems (Park, 2007). This study of 380 adolescents (Mage = 13.84) examined a model linking the appearance culture between friends with appearance-RS in adolescent boys and girls, via internalisation of appearance ideals, social comparison, and body dissatisfaction. Gender differences were also tested. Consistent with expectations, appearance-focused characteristics of the friendship context were associated with heightened appearance-RS via internalization of appearance ideals, social comparison, and body dissatisfaction. The appearance-focused friend characteristics that were associated with appearance-RS included exposure to friends' appearance conversations, appearance teasing that caused distress, and perceived pressure to be attractive. Notably, associations rarely differed for boys and girls, with one exception: the association between BMI and body dissatisfaction was stronger in girls than in boys.

Sustained Obesity and Depressive Symptoms over 6 Years: Race by Gender Differences in the Health and Retirement Study

“…Body dissatisfaction and perceived unattractiveness to others is a mechanism behind the comorbidity between high Body Mass Index (BMI) and negative emotions (Jackson et al, 2014; Webb et al, 2014a; Ehlinger and Blashill, 2016). Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory suggests that we are not what we are, or what we think we are, but what we think other people think about us (Bandura, 1986).…”

“…The Social Ecological Framework also suggests that individuals' behaviors and emotions are shaped by their social interactions and environment (Ley et al, 2015). Although, high BMI influences body image perception and body dissatisfaction (Altintas et al, 2014; Coy et al, 2014; Das and Evans, 2014; Stephen and Perera, 2014; Webb et al, 2014a,b; Laus et al, 2015), there is a wealth of literature suggesting that these associations depend on gender (Altintas et al, 2014; Coy et al, 2014; Laus et al, 2015), race and ethnicity (Mikolajczyk et al, 2012; Richmond et al, 2012; Chithambo and Huey, 2013; Thomas et al, 2013; Fletcher, 2014; Gitau et al, 2014; Pope et al, 2014; Sabik, 2015; Blostein et al, 2016), and age (Altintas et al, 2014; Pope et al, 2014). Self-image and misperception of self also vary by race, gender (Nichols et al, 2009; Lynch and Kane, 2014; Baruth et al, 2015; Gustat et al, 2016), and culture (Capodilupo and Kim, 2014; Argyrides and Kkeli, 2015; Capodilupo, 2015; O'Neal et al, 2015).…”

Body Image and Body Change Strategies Within Friendship Dyads and Groups: Implications for Adolescent Appearance‐based Rejection Sensitivity

“…In contrast to general rejection sensitivity (Downey & Feldman, ), which involves anxious or angry expectations, perceptions, and overreactions to cues of rejection, appearance‐RS is focused on when these perceptions are specific to concerns about rejection because of appearance. Individuals with high appearance‐RS experience a range of debilitating issues, including depression and social anxiety, poor self‐esteem, appearance‐conditional self‐worth, body dissatisfaction, body dysmorphic symptoms, and endorsement of cosmetic surgery (Bowker, Thomas, Spencer, & Park, ; Park, ; Webb, Zimmer‐Gembeck, & Donovan, ).…”

“…Secondly, Webb et al. () showed that appearance‐RS was higher in adolescents ( M age = 13.8) who were exposed more often to an ‘appearance culture’ within their friendship context, which included appearance conversations with friends, pressure to be attractive, distress from appearance teasing, and having friends who valued attractiveness highly. Finally, Bowker et al.…”

Linking Magazine Exposure to Social Appearance Anxiety: The Role of Appearance Norms in Early Adolescence

“…Prior research has indicated that teasing during childhood is related to anxiety disorders later in life (e.g., McCabe, Miller, Laugesen, Antony, & Young, 2010). Appearance teasing has also been related to body dissatisfaction (Lunde, Frisén, & Hwang, 2006) and appearance-based rejection sensitivity (Webb, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Donovan, 2014) among adolescent samples. Although the belief that attractiveness (or thinness) is related to likeability has been shown to be a better predictor of appearance concerns among children than peer interactions (e.g., Oliver & Thelen, 1996), an interesting avenue for future research would be to include appearance teasing in the examined model.…”