Body Image: Impacts of Media Channels on Men's and Women's Social Comparison Process, and Testing of Involvement Measurement

Abstract

This study examines the impacts of social comparison processes on men and women to investigate any potential gender differences by utilizing survey research (N = 134). This study also investigates the different impacts of magazine and television social comparison processes on men's and women's body perceptual gap and body satisfaction. Last, this study tests the validity of a new scale based on the Affect, Reason, and Involvement (ARI) model, measuring “involvement” in the context of body image. The result found significant gender differences in several key areas in the body image processes. Social comparison to television actually decreased the body perceptual gap among men but increased the gap among women. Magazine social comparison yielded the same results for both men and women. Other gender differences were also found. Even though men were watching more hours of television per week, the female participants had higher levels of overall social comparison to television and magazines. Female participants in general also had a larger body perceptual gap than men, and female participants perceived their current body to be larger than did male participants. Last, the new scale from the ARI model measuring involvement was found to be valid after conducting a convergent validity test.