Body Image, Appearance Self-Schema, and Media Images

This study examines the effects of women's appearance self-schemas and exposure to attractive media images on body image, self-esteem, and mood. Women's response to media images was expected to vary according to an individual difference variable, appearance self-schema, or cognitive representations of organized information about the self in relation to appearance. College women volunteers (N = 168) were divided into two groups (schematic and aschematic) on the basis of appearance self-schema; half of each group was exposed to photos of attractive images, whereas the other half was not exposed to any images before completing measures of body image, self-esteem, and mood. Women who are schematic on appearance exhibited lower body image, lower self-esteem, and more negative mood than did those who are aschematic on appearance. Neither exposure to media images in conjunction with appearance self-schema nor exposure alone affected response on body image, self-esteem, and mood.

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