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Description
Body image is a crucial aspect of self-concept that is subject to societal influence. Women suffer negative body image when they compare themselves with media images of thin, idealized women. This process is moderated by the degree to which the individual internalizes societal ideals of beauty. Most media depictions of women are digitally altered to idealize the model, so this avenue of thin-ideal exposure presents a logical intervention point for reducing the negative health and psychological effects associated with exposure. An exploratory question of this study is whether the presence of the disclosure statement reduces advertising effectiveness. The current study was a double-blind experiment that assessed if a statement that describes the digital manipulation of women's bodies protected against the effects of viewing the images. Participants were 590 female undergraduates recruited at San Diego State University. Experimental conditions were exposure to images containing a small, white, digital manipulation disclosure statement, exposure to images containing a large, colored statement, and one control condition without the statement to assess body image at different levels of exposure to the warning. State body image and the effect of the disclosure statement on the advertisement were measured post-exposure. It was hypothesized that participants exposed to a small, white box containing the statement will display more negative state body image than participants exposed to the statement in a large, orange box. It was also hypothesized that state body image among participants viewing the small white version of the statement will not differ significantly from control participants. Results indicated that neither hypothesis was supported. In regard to the exploratory question, data revealed that the presence of warning labels does not reduce advertising effectiveness. Limitations include generalizability due to origin of the sample and method of advertising effectiveness measurement. Future research should focus on the wording and presentation of body-image information that maximizes intervention effectiveness.
