Preferences in Body Figure

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses whether gender-related preference hold true. It then determines the perceptions each sex has of the opposite sex's preferences in body type. The paper discusses results from an online questionnaire relating to body type preferences and perceptions, which was answered by volunteers.

Table of Contents:
Abstract
Method
Participants
Design
Materials and Procedure
Results
Discussion

From the Paper:

"In today's information age, we have been exposed to a successful marketing campaign by the fashion industry which makes being thin an ideal. The slim body type seen widely in advertisements and fashion magazines has become an idealised cultural norm (Gordon, 1988 cited by Lamb, Jackson, Cassiday, & Priest, 1993). It has been shown that women who represent the ideal feminine body type in American culture (such as beauty queens and models) have become thinner over the last few decades. The ideal figure is now below the actuarial norm (Lamb et al., 1993)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abell, S.C., & Richards, M.H. (1996). The relationship between body shape satisfaction and self-esteem: An investigation of gender and class differences. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25, 691-703.
• Byrne, N.M., & Hills, A.P. (1996). Should body-image scales designed by adults be used with adolescents? Perceptual and Motor Skills, 82, 747-753.
• Fallon, A.E. & Rozin, P. (1985). Short reports: Sex differences in perceptions of desirable body shape. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 94, 102-105.
• Hill, A.J. & Oliver, S. (1992). Eating in the adult world: The rise of dieting in childhood and adolescence. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 31, 95-105.
• Lamb, C.S, Jackson, L.A, Cassiday, P.B., & Priest, D.J. (1993). Body figure preferences of men and women: A comparision of two generations. Sex Roles, 28, 345-358.

More papers on Preferences in Body Figure:

• Research Paper # 54726 : "Zylon in Body Armor"
• Research Paper # 52475 : "Preferences in Art"
• Article Review # 144134 : "Negotiating the Marginalized Body in Public Space"

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