Attachment security and social comparisons as predictors of Pinterest users’ body image concerns

Abstract

Although prior research has established associations between the mass media-related glamorization of unrealistic standards of female beauty and women's body image concerns, theory-driven research on the impact of social media use on women's body image concerns is scarce (Perloff, 2014). The present study addressed this gap by testing a dispositional model linking adult attachment security and tendencies to engage in social comparisons to each of two indicators of body image concerns within a sample of college women who acknowledged being active and psychologically-identified users of Pinterest ©, a highly popular and image-rich social networking site. Results indicated that, controlling for participants' age, body mass, and Pinterest use identification, adult attachment orientations and social comparisons each made significant and incremental contributions to each indicator of body image concerns. Further, women's social comparison levels partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and body satisfaction. Implications of these findings to continued study of social media influences on body dissatisfaction are discussed.