Body shape perceptions of preadolescent and young adolescent children

Objective: to investigate age and gender effects on body figure perceptions in a non-referred preadolescent and young adolescent population. Method: self-ratings of body shape, choices of current ideal body shape and choices of ideal older adolescent body shape from a range of line drawings of figures in a sample of 1150 school children. Results: Girls in all age groups indicated a desire to be leaner than their perceived current shape. Boys in the younger age groups indicated a desire to be heavier than their perceived current shape whereas boys in the older age groups indicated a desire to be leaner than their perceived current shape. Both genders perceived the 'ideal older adolescent' body shape of the opposite gender to be leaner than the ideal shape of their own gender. Boys preferred increasingly heavier male and increasingly leaner female older adolescent body shapes with age. Conclusion: There are significant gender effects in the perception of body shape preferences.