Study: Young people with negative body image avoid looking at models

By Staff Writer

A new study from Ohio State researchers indicates that young people who are unhappy about their bodies look through fitness and fashion magazines differently than those who are more secure about their appearance.

The report, which appears in the journal Media Psychology, is based on a study of 169 young adults. Researchers administered questionnaires that measured the participants' body satisfaction, then examined their reading habits while viewing two magazines that featured fit models.

One publication contained articles about diet and exercise, while the other featured general stories that were unrelated to body improvement. The models in each magazine were of the same sex as the reader.

Individuals who were unsatisfied with their bodies spent, on average, 59 seconds looking at pictures of the models when they were accompanied by articles about body improvement. In the general interest publications, the participants who had self-image problems spent only 40 seconds looking at the same images.

However, people who were satisfied with their appearance showed little difference in their reading habits between the two issues.

The team concluded that some people are more apt to look at pictures of fit people if it relates to their own image improvement. When there are no self-help stories attached, these same individuals tend to avoid examining models' physiques because it negatively affects their self-esteem by making them feel worse about their physical condition.

Adolescents who have low self-esteem may benefit from wilderness therapy programs, many of which provide help for troubled teens.