The Attractive Female Body Weight and Female Body Dissatisfaction in 26 Countries across 10 World Regions: Results of the International Body Project I

Author

Viren Swami
David A. Frederick
Toivo Aavik
Lidia Alcalay
Juri Allik
Donna Anderson
Norman P. LI, Singapore Management UniversityFollow

Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

3-2010

Abstract

This study reports results from the first International Body Project (IBP-I), which surveyed 7,434 individuals in 10 major world regions about body weight ideals and body dissatisfaction. Participants completed the female Contour Drawing Figure Rating Scale (CDFRS) and self-reported their exposure to Western and local media. Results indicated there were significant cross-regional differences in the ideal female figure and body dissatisfaction, but effect sizes were small across high-socioeconomic-status (SES) sites. Within cultures, heavier bodies were preferred in low-SES sites compared to high-SES sites in Malaysia and South Africa (ds = 1.94-2.49) but not in Austria. Participant age, body mass index (BMI), and Western media exposure predicted body weight ideals. BMI and Western media exposure predicted body dissatisfaction among women. Our results show that body dissatisfaction and desire for thinness is commonplace in high-SES settings across world regions, highlighting the need for international attention to this problem.

Keywords

body weight, body dissatisfaction, cross-cultural, socioeconomic differences, attractiveness, International Body Project

Discipline

Gender and Sexuality | Personality and Social Contexts | Social Psychology

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Volume

36

Issue

3

First Page

309

Last Page

325

ISSN

0146-1672

Identifier

10.1177/0146167209359702

Publisher

SAGE

Citation

Swami, Viren, Frederick, David A., Aavik, Toivo, Alcalay, Lidia, Allik, Juri, Anderson, Donna, & LI, Norman P..(2010). The Attractive Female Body Weight and Female Body Dissatisfaction in 26 Countries across 10 World Regions: Results of the International Body Project I. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(3), 309-325.

Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/730

Copyright Owner and License

Publisher

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209359702