The influence of materialism and ideal body internalization on body-dissatisfaction and body-shaping behaviors of young men and women: Support for the Consumer Culture Impact Model

Exposure to media images of the ‘body‐perfect’ ideal has been partly blamed for the pursuit of thinness among women and muscularity among men. Research has largely overlooked the materialistic messages frequently associated with these images. We present findings from two studies with Icelandic stude...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of psychology 2014-04, Vol.55 (2), p.151-159
Main Authors: Guðnadóttir, Unnur, Garðarsdóttir, Ragna B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Body Image - psychology
body-dissatisfaction
Culture
dietary restraint
Female
Humans
ideal-body internalization
Internal-External Control
Male
Materialism
muscle building
Personal Satisfaction
Self Concept
Social Values
Surveys and Questionnaires
Thinness - psychology
Young Adult
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Summary:Exposure to media images of the ‘body‐perfect’ ideal has been partly blamed for the pursuit of thinness among women and muscularity among men. Research has largely overlooked the materialistic messages frequently associated with these images. We present findings from two studies with Icelandic students aged 18–21, one focusing on young women (n = 303) and one on young men (n = 226), which test associations of materialistic and body‐perfect ideals with body dissatisfaction and excessive body shaping behaviors. In both studies, the internalization of materialistic values is strongly linked to the internalization of body‐perfect ideals: the thin‐ideal for young women, and the muscular‐ideal for young men. A materialist value orientation also predicted body dissatisfaction in both studies, and was linked to body shaping behaviors, albeit differently for young women and men. Thus, the research identifies materialism as a further correlate of both body dissatisfaction and excessive body‐shaping behaviors. The findings support Dittmar's () Consumer Culture Impact Model, which proposes that the body‐perfect and ‘material good life’ ideals jointly impact well‐being.
ISSN:0036-5564
1467-9450
DOI:10.1111/sjop.12101