Media influences on male and female non-eating-disordered college students: A significant issue

Abstract

Few studies have addressed the importance of media influence on persons who do not have an eating disorder. These persons are usually considered a control group. However, the influence of the media on non-eating-disordered females and males is a significant issue. The purpose of this study is to assess the immediate impact of very brief exposure to images taken from media on the self-consciousness and anxiety of male and female college students. There was a significant effect of looking at pictures of thin models on female participants only. In the group of college women who looked at pictures of thin female models, there were significantly higher levels of private self-consciousness, body competence, and state anxiety. For the male college students, there were no differences in self-consciousness or anxiety between those who looked at the pictures of thin male models and those who looked at control pictures.