Body dissatisfaction in college women and their mothers : Cohort effects, developmental effects, and the influences of body size, sexism, and the thin body ideal

A study of body dissatisfaction, as measured by the Figure Rating Scale (Stunkard, Sorenson, & Schlusinger, 1983) & the Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, 1984), in 75 college women & their mothers indicated that both daughters & mothers experienced body dissatisfaction. When...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sex roles 2005-08, Vol.53 (3-4), p.281-298
Main Authors: FORBES, Gordon B, ADAMS-CURTIS, Leah, JOBE, Rebecca L, WHITE, Kay B, REVAK, Jessica, ZIVCIC-BECIREVIC, Ivanka, POKRAJAC-BULIAN, Alessandra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age differences
Appearance
Attitude surveys
Behavioral Sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Body Image
College Students
Daughters
Eating Disorders
Females
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender Bias
Generational Differences
Human Body
Mothers
Personal appearance
Personality. Affectivity
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Rating Scales
Self image
Self representation
Selfperception
Sexism
Women
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Summary:A study of body dissatisfaction, as measured by the Figure Rating Scale (Stunkard, Sorenson, & Schlusinger, 1983) & the Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, 1984), in 75 college women & their mothers indicated that both daughters & mothers experienced body dissatisfaction. When body size was statistically controlled, either no difference was found between the groups or daughters were found to have greater body dissatisfaction than mothers. The results supported the hypotheses that (1) there are generational differences in body dissatisfaction, (2) both cohort & developmental effects contribute to these differences, & (3) that a developmental effect (mothers' greater body size) may obscure a cohort effect (daughters' greater exposure to the thin body ideal). Body dissatisfaction measures based on the mothers' retrospective ratings of how they felt at their daughters' age were consistent with these hypotheses. Relationships between body dissatisfaction & the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire (Heinberg, Thompson, & Stormer, 1995) were stronger & more frequent for daughters than for mothers & for the Internalization Scale than for the Awareness Scale. Relationships between the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 2001) & body dissatisfaction were stronger for mothers than for daughters & for Benevolent Sexism than for Hostile Sexism. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0360-0025
1573-2762
DOI:10.1007/s11199-005-5686-2