Levels Of Body Dissatisfaction Research Articles

Disclaimer Labels Used in Ads: An Eye-Tracking Study Exploring Body Dissatisfaction and Physical Appearance Comparison Among University Students

The necessity of having a perfect beauty created with advertisements has negative impacts on young people. Advertisements usually feature very slim models and their digitally altered, airbrushed and trimmed photos. Ideal beauty is created by retouching and changing digitally existing images. People compare their bodies to the perfect bodies in advertisements. Especially young women and men compare these perfect bodies with their own bodies and experience dissatisfaction. This may lead to anxiety, depression and lack of self-confidence in people who are not ideally sized. Since ideal beauty influences the audience, the physical attractiveness of people starring in advertisements is one of the subjects worth stressing. With an experimental design, the eye movements of young female (40) and male (40) participants were recorded using the eye-tracking method. During this process, participants saw advertisements with and without disclaimer labels. The male participants saw the print advertisement which included the male model, and the female participants saw the print advertisement which included the female model. At the end of the experiment, the Body Dissatisfaction Scale (BDS) and the Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (PACS) were applied to the participants. The relationship between the participants’ levels of body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparison and their focus on Areas of Interest (AOI) in stimulated and non-stimulated advertising was revealed. The findings of the study showed that body dissatisfaction is high among young people and the level of body dissatisfaction did not affect more attention to any part of the model (body and face).

Self-concept clarity and appearance-based social comparison to idealized bodies

Exposure to images of idealized bodies in the media has been shown to increase body dissatisfaction among women. One of the mechanisms through which exposure influences body dissatisfaction is appearance-based comparison with the people in the images. The present study tested the hypothesis that individuals low in self-concept clarity (i.e., individuals who lack a clear sense of their own identity) would be more likely to compare themselves to images of thin models, and would consequently experience greater body dissatisfaction. White female participants (N = 489) were exposed to either images featuring idealized bodies or neutral control images, and then indicated the extent to which they compared their appearance to that of the targets and reported their level of body dissatisfaction. A moderated-mediation model showed that the effect of exposure condition on body dissatisfaction via appearance comparison to the targets depended on the participant's level of self-concept clarity. Those with lower self-concept clarity engaged in greater comparison when exposed to idealized images relative to control images, leading to greater post-exposure body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that low self-concept clarity might increase vulnerability to the negative effects of exposure to idealized media images.

Do COVID-19-Related Stress, Being Overweight, and Body Dissatisfaction Contribute to More Disordered Eating in Polish Women?-A Cluster Analysis Approach.

We hypothesized that women who are overweight, experiencing COVID-19-related stress, and with high body dissatisfaction would have significantly greater disordered eating than those of healthy weight, without stress, and with low body dissatisfaction. Participants (N = 1354 women; Mage= 31.89 years, SD = 11.14) filled in the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, the Emotional Overeating Questionnaire, the Eating Motivation Survey, the Mindful Eating Questionnaire, and a COVID-19-related stress measure and sociodemographic survey. The cluster analysis technique revealed four distinct clusters: (a) Cluster 1 (N = 314): healthy body weight, no COVID-related stress, and low body dissatisfaction (M = 1.19); (b) Cluster 2 (N = 131): overweight, no COVID-related stress, and high body dissatisfaction (M = 2.41); (c) Cluster 3 (N = 597): healthy body weight, COVID-related stress, and low body dissatisfaction (M = 1.27); (d) Cluster 4 (N = 312): overweight, COVID-related stress, and high body dissatisfaction (M = 2.84). Generally, our outcomes partially support our hypothesis, as higher levels of some types of disordered eating were observed in women who were overweight with COVID-related stress and high body dissatisfaction (Cluster 4) as compared with women with healthy body weight, no COVID-related stress, and with low levels of body dissatisfaction (Cluster 1). Our results indicate that both body weight status, as well as COVID-19-related stress and body dissatisfaction, may contribute to the intensity of disordered eating. During future epidemic-related quarantines, this may be an argument in favor of organizing support regarding emotional functioning, body image, and eating behaviors, particularly for the most vulnerable groups—including overweight and obese women.

Characteristics and clinical implications of the relationship between veganism and pathological eating behaviours.

Veganism may serve as a socially acceptable means to restrict food intake and disguise pathological eating behaviours. Studies that include vegan participants typically group them with other meat avoiders (e.g., vegetarians), potentially masking risk factors unique to veganism. We addressed this issue by recruiting two Amazon Mechanical Turk samples of 110 vegan and 118 omnivore participants, with comparable gender composition. We aimed to examine whether vegans showed higher disordered eating than omnivores, and if motives for pursuing a vegan diet impacted disordered eating. We assessed disordered eating using the Eating Attitudes Test, the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire, and the Eating Pathology Symptom Inventory. Vegans displayed more pathological eating behaviours than omnivores, which was significantly predicted by cognitive restraint. However, body dissatisfaction levels were higher in omnivores than vegans. Diet motives did not influence vegans' disordered eating. We propose vegans have high levels of cognitive restraint, possibly due to their intention to avoid animal products. In turn, cognitive restraint subscales in eating disorder measures might be over-pathologising rates of eating disorders in vegans. Future research should monitor the progression of people's eating-related attitudes and behaviours before and after they transition to veganism to establish whether veganism increases the risk of disordered eating, or vice versa. IV, cross-sectional study.

New Evidence on What Predicts the Development of Eating Disorders in Adolescents

Despite the high risk of medical complications and mortality in patients with eating disorders (EDs), the identification of risk factors and predictors of these disorders remains largely unknown. The recognition of predictors is particularly important in view of developing preventive strategies for targeted groups of high-risk subjects (1). In the field of EDs, high-risk subjects are usually identified by means of self-reported questionnaires and mainly include those experiencing symptoms of the disorder, such as high levels of body dissatisfaction and clinical perfectionism in individuals who are dieting or using other compensatory behaviors to control body weight and shape.

Участие в фитнес-блогах как новая социальная практика и ее последствия для психического здоровья молодых женщин

Fitness blogging and fitness marathons are becoming a popular social practice, especially among young women. Although these practices are claimed to provide health benefits, in reality they pose serious risks to the participants’ mental wellbeing. The paper focuses on a study aimed at the analysis of the level and factors of mental distress in female fitness blog subscribers, and the dynamics of their emotional wellbeing in the course of fitness marathons. A total of 112 women aged 18 to 35 years old, with a mean age of 23.5 (SD=4.7), participated in the study. All the respondents were Instagram fitness blog subscribers. The following methods were used in the study: Physical perfectionism scale [8]; Situational Inventory of Body-Im- age Dysphoria [14]; Perceived sociocultural pressure scale [3]; Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale [9]; Beck’s Depression Inventory [17]; N.G. Garanyan and A.B. Kholmogorova’s Three-Factor Perfectionism Questionnaire [1]. Received data testify that young women who spent on Instagram over 60 minutes a day differed from those who spent maximum 30 minutes online by significantly higher levels of excessive body standards and body dissatisfaction, and a greater severity of emotional maladjustment symptoms, including suicidal tendencies. The regression analysis showed that physical and general perfectionism as well as social anxiety and depression symptoms had the most significant effect on an increase in body dissatisfaction levels. After completion of a fitness marathon, women had significant increases in body dissatisfaction and emotional problems. Further research is needed to identify targets that would help to prevent the emotional maladjustment which occur as a result of young women’s engagement in fitness blogging.

The Perception of Malaysian Rural and Urban Indigenous Women on Body Image

This study investigates the perception of body image among indigenous women in Peninsular Malaysia. Using a sample drawn from urban (n=38) and rural (n=21) settings, the study engages participants who are more or less socio-economically acculturated to mainstream society in order to explore different attitudes to body image, and anxiety level about social physique between rural and urban women. Rural indigenous women registered a higher level of body dissatisfaction than their urban counterparts. However, there was no significant difference in attitudes towards body image between indigenous women in both locations. Due to a degree of presumed acculturation to western ideals of body image, urban indigenous women who were not underweight showed a higher anxiety level concerning their physique than those from rural areas with a similar body size. It was also found that a higher level of body dissatisfaction correlated with a poorer body image among indigenous women in Malaysia.

Body image profiles and exercise behaviours in early motherhood. A latent profile analysis.

Early motherhood may impact body image, and its relationship to exercise, potentially affecting mother and infant wellbeing. This study examined whether duration of weekly exercise differed according to body image profile (BIP) based on relative levels of body dissatisfaction and body appreciation. Survey data from 262 women, 0-5 years postpartum, were analysed. Latent profile analysis identified "average", "dissatisfied" and "appreciative" BIPs. Significantly lower exercise was found in the dissatisfied compared to the appreciative BIP (p = 0.005), with marginally lower exercise in the dissatisfied compared to the average BIP (p = 0.029 with adjusted α = 0.02). This research has implications for designing targeted interventions supporting postpartum wellbeing.

Eating behavior and body image of women with breast cancer

Background: The term “eating behavior” refers to all actions involving the act of eating. Body image can be defined by understanding the shape, size, and weight of the body, and encompasses the affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. The objective of this study was to analyze the eating behavior and body image of women with breast cancer. Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional, and analytical study conducted at the Centro Regional Integrado de Oncologia, with women aged between 19 and 59 years, diagnosed with breast cancer. Socioeconomic, clinical, anthropometric data, body image and eating behavior of the sample were collected. The Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Kakeshita Silhouette Scale were used to evaluate body image, and for eating behavior, the Portuguese version of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) was used. Results: Among the women studied, 43.3% were aged between 50 and 59 years. Overweight was the most prevalent nutritional status in 43.3% of the sample. Women with a mild degree of dissatisfaction presented means of habitual weight (p=0.04), current weight (p=0.02), waist circumference (p=0.04) and BMI (p<0.01) higher than those who did not present any dissatisfaction. Most women, with a predominance of restrained eating behavior, presented a mild degree of body dissatisfaction (p-value=<0.01). All those evaluated who presented a mild degree of dissatisfaction were dissatisfied with body image (p=0.03). Conclusion: Most of the women evaluated were dissatisfied with body image. Restrained eating behavior was predominant and strongly correlated with mild body dissatisfaction levels. Higher BMI means were found in women who presented mild body dissatisfaction.

Emotional imagination of negative situations: Functional neuroimaging in anorexia and bulimia.

AimThe present study aims to extend the knowledge of the neural correlates of emotion processing in first episode subjects affected by anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN). We applied an emotional distress paradigm targeting negative emotions thought to be relevant for interpersonal difficulties and therapeutic resistance mechanisms.MethodsThe current study applied to 44 female participants with newly diagnosed AN or BN and 20 matched controls a neuroimaging paradigm eliciting affective responses. The measurements also included an extensive assessment comprising clinical scales, neuropsychological tests, measures of emotion processing and empathy.ResultsAN and BN did not differ from controls in terms of emotional response, emotion matching, self-reported empathy and cognitive performance. However, eating disorder and psychopathological clinical scores, as well as alexithymia levels, were increased in AN and BN. On a neural level, no significant group differences emerged, even when focusing on a region of interest selected a priori: the amygdala. Some interesting findings put in relation the hippocampal activity with the level of Body Dissatisfaction of the participants, the relative importance of the key nodes for the common network in the decoding of different emotions (BN = right amygdala, AN = anterior cingulate area), and the qualitative profile of the deactivations.ConclusionsOur data do not support the hypothesis that participants with AN or BN display reduced emotional responsiveness. However, peculiar characteristics in emotion processing could be associated to the three different groups. Therefore, relational difficulties in eating disorders, as well as therapeutic resistance, could be not secondary to a simple difficulty in feeling and identifying basic negative emotions in AN and BN participants.

Can Parental Body Dissatisfaction Predict That of Children? A Study on Body Dissatisfaction, Body Mass Index, and Desire to Diet in Children Aged 9-11 and Their Families.

Body image has been associated with self-care and the assumption of either healthy habits or poor diets and eating disorders. As a vital element in the formation of a positive body image, the role of the family in childhood has been highlighted by a few studies. This study aimed to assess whether children’s body dissatisfaction could be predicted by their parents’ body dissatisfaction, body mass index (BMI), and approach to change. The sample consisted of 581 participants (366 parents and 215 children). The following instruments were used: anthropometric data, the Brief Scale of Body Dissatisfaction for Children, the IMAGE questionnaire (approach to change and drive for muscularity subscales), and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness subscales). The results indicated that 19% of children, 22.8% of mothers, and 70.2% of fathers were overweight or obese. The multiple regression models developed for boys and girls explained 60 and 57% of the variance in body dissatisfaction, respectively. Several variables attributable to the mother (higher approach to change, higher drive for thinness, and higher BMI) and to the boys themselves (drive for muscularity, approach to change, and having a high BMI percentile) predicted a higher level of body dissatisfaction. For girls, only variables regarding themselves (approach to change, age, and BMI percentile) explained their body dissatisfaction. Relationships with the traits of the father were not detected for both models. The influence of sociocultural factors on the construction of gender and the negative consequences of mothers’ dieting for aesthetic purposes, on the development of children’s body image, are discussed.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Infertility

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by a variety of reproductive and metabolic symptoms that affects 4–18% of reproductive-age women, depending on the diagnostic criteria used. PCOS is characterized by hormonal deregulation, insulin resistance, and metabolic disorders, all of which raise the risk of infertility, type 2diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) while also lowering quality of life. Women with PCOS have higher levels of body dissatisfaction and are more likely to develop mood swings, anxiety, and eating disorders. PCOS remains undiagnosed, in part due to the variety of phenotypes exhibited by this disorder, despite its prevalence and consequences for sexual, metabolic, and psychological health. Aims: The aim of the study was to determine the true prevalence rate of PCOS patients in both urban and rural India, as well as to link the disorder’s symptoms to lifestyle changes. Methodology: The participants are all exposed to the same climatic conditions, with only man-made shifts distinguishing the urban and rural populations. From the urban and rural populations, a total of 1068 young girls between the ages of 18 and 24 were able to participate in the study. Result: The participants were automatically age matched, and they all shared the same climatic conditions. Conclusion: A larger sample size and a controlled prospective study would be able to shed light on the disease’s prevalence as well as other environmental factors that contribute to PCOS manifestation in the Indian population.

Эмоциональная дисрегуляция и неудовлетворенность телом в женской популяции

The study investigated the relations between body dissatisfaction and emotional dysregulation. This is the first research focusing on the mediating effect of emotional dysregulation on the relationship between negative affect and body dissatisfaction in a Russian female population. It is particularly relevant given that both emotional dysregulation and body dissatisfaction may lead to the emergence of psychopathological symptoms (e.g., depression, self-injurious behavior, and eating disorders). 778 girls and women aged 14–40 years (M=19,8; SE=3,31) participated in the study. The following measures were used: Body Image Questionnaire (Skugarevsky, 2006), Emotional Dysregulation Questionnaire (Polskaya, Razvaliaeva, 2017), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross, John, 2003; Russian version by Pankratova, Kornienko, 2017) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson et al., 1988; Russian version by Osin, 2012). High level of body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with high scores of rumination, avoidance and difficulties in mentalizing from the Emotional Dysregulation Questionnaire, high level of negative affect and low level of positive affect. Respondents with high body dissatisfaction also preferred expressive suppression to cognitive reappraisal for emotion regulation. Regression analysis showed that negative affect (b=0,20; p&lt;0,001) and emotion dysregulation scales — rumination (b=0,66; p&lt;0,001), avoidance (b=0,69; p&lt;0,001) and difficulties in mentalizing (b=0,33; p&lt;0,001) — significantly predicted body dissatisfaction (F(4, 773)=130,8, p&lt;0,001; R2=0,405; R2adj=0,402). Emotion dysregulation scales mediated the effect of negative affect on body dissatisfaction.

Thin, muscular, and fit-ideals: Prevalence and correlates in undergraduate women

Objective: The current study aimed to compare endorsement of the muscular- and thin-ideals alone, as well as simultaneous endorsement of both as representative of the fit-ideal and examine potential negative correlates of each type of ideal internalization. Participants: Participants were 300 female undergraduate students. Methods: Participants completed measures of internalization of the thin- and muscular-ideals, body dissatisfaction, body checking, and body avoidance. Results: Analyses revealed that approximately 24.9% of participants endorsed scores in the upper quartile on thin-ideal internalization, and 27.4% of participants fell in the upper quartile of muscular-ideal internalization, while 10.3% endorsed high internalization of both ideals. Analyses revealed that individuals endorsing only the thin-ideal reported significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction and body avoidance than those endorsing the fit-ideal. Conclusions: Overall, findings suggested that thin- and muscular-ideal internalization present different patterns of association depending on whether an individual endorses one or both of these body ideals.

"I Want to Lose Weight and it Has to Be Fair": Predictors of Satisfaction After Bariatric Surgery.

Bariatric surgery (BS) is the most effective technique used to help patients with obesity achieve long-term weight loss. Although many patients report high levels of postoperative satisfaction after BS, some remain unsatisfied with their outcome. Studies of factors that predict postoperative satisfaction have yielded varying results. Weight loss has been identified as a predictor of satisfaction after BS, but debate remains concerning the impact of preoperative expectations and psychological variables. Furthermore, the relevance of attribution and perception of equity to postoperative satisfaction has not been evaluated in patients undergoing BS. We assessed preoperative expectations and the levels of body dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression in 80 patients undergoing BS. Satisfaction, attribution, feeling of equity, and psychological variables were evaluated 6months, 1year, and 2years after BS. Weight loss and equity were the two predictors of satisfaction 6months after BS. Body dissatisfaction was the main factor predicting satisfaction 1year after BS, with equity and anxiety having smaller influences. Weight loss and equity were the factors predicting satisfaction 2years after BS. Our findings support previous results concerning the influence of weight loss on satisfaction after BS. The identification of equity as a factor associated with postoperative satisfaction raises questions regarding the impact of the comparisons made by the patient with others and the consequences of the messages they receive about BS. Moreover, our results underscore the importance of considering the patient's personal experience after BS and not just their weight loss.

Eating-disorder psychopathology and driven exercise change models: A latent change score analysis.

Approximately 50% of people with eating disorders (EDs) engage in driven exercise to influence their weight or shape and/or to compensate for loss-of-control eating. When present, driven exercise is associated with a lower quality-of-life, longer hospital stays, and faster rates-of-relapse. Despite the seriousness of driven exercise, most treatments for EDs do not target maladaptive exercise behaviors directly. Given the large proportion of patients with an ED who engage in driven exercise and its effect on treatment outcomes, it is critical to understand what predicts change in driven exercise. The purpose of this study was to test whether ED symptoms prospectively predicted change in driven exercise and vice versa. Participants were Recovery Record (RR) users (N = 4,568; 86.8% female) seeking treatment for an ED. Participants completed the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) monthly for 3 months. In the full sample, dynamic bivariate latent change score analyses indicated that high levels of dietary restraint and restricting prospectively predicted reductions in driven exercise. Among persons with anorexia nervosa (AN), high levels of binge eating predicted increased driven exercise. Among persons with bulimia nervosa (BN), high levels of body dissatisfaction predicted increased driven exercise. Among persons with binge-eating disorder (BED), high levels of binge eating, purging, and restricting predicted reductions in driven exercise. Results highlight changes that may predict increased or decreased driven exercise relative to other ED symptoms for AN, BN, and BED groups. These preliminary findings could inform future research on ED treatment efforts to manage driven exercise.

Mixed methods pilot evaluation of interpersonal psychotherapy for body image for adolescents.

Body dissatisfaction is common in adolescence and associated with poor outcomes. The aim of this mixed method pilot evaluation was to determine acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Body Image (IPT-BI), a school-based group intervention for young people with high levels of body dissatisfaction. Eighteen participants (11–13 years, 78% female) took part in two IPT-BI groups (n = 10; n = 8). Feasibility was measured by recruitment and attrition rates; acceptability using a treatment satisfaction questionnaire and focus groups; and clinical outcomes at baseline, each session and post intervention. The majority of young people (72%, n = 18/25) who were referred or expressed interest went on to take part. Average session attendance was 100% and 89%. Participants expressed high levels of treatment satisfaction with 94% (n = 16/17) rating IPT-BI as ‘quite helpful’ or ‘very helpful’ and 94% (n = 16/17) stating they would recommend it to others. Preliminary exploration of efficacy showed significant improvements in body image and significant reductions in interpersonal difficulties and appearance-based conversations. Young people valued specific IPT-BI skills (role play, communication strategies), alongside generic therapeutic factors (therapeutic alliance, group cohesion). IPT-BI is feasible and acceptable with promising provisional clinical outcomes indicating the need for a fully powered randomised controlled trial.

Attitudinal and Perceptual Dimensions of Body Image in Adolescents

Abstract Background: Body image is viewed as a multidimensional construct, a combination of perception and attitude regarding the body. Prevalence studies in body image concerns indicate the widespread incidence of body discontent in adolescent girls. The purpose of the study was to assess the attitudinal and perceptual dimensions of body image and the current level of body dissatisfaction, in Indian female adolescents Methods: Cross sectional observational study with a sample of 303 female adolescents, age 15-17 years. Informed consent was obtained from parents and participants. Materials used were Body Image Instrument and BMI ratings. Results: In the perceptual dimensions, more than 23.7% of girls perceived themselves as overweight and obese while in actuality only 13% were overweight, thus indicating a trend towards prevalence of faulty body images. In the attitudinal dimensions, around 60% of the adolescent girls identified a thinner ideal body contour in comparison to their current figure. Significant discontent towards their current weight is experienced by adolescents within the normal BMI category, with more than 58.32 % of them desiring to be thinner. Conclusion: In the context of weight concerns of Indian adolescents, there is an observable shift in preferences of body shape towards a thinner ideal. Adolescents experience a common dissatisfaction with their current bodies, irrespective of whether they desired to increase their body size or reduce it. These results hold great significance in the current context, wherein mental health professionals may witness an increase in body image disturbances and eating disorders, in Indian adolescents.

ESTILO PARENTAL PERCIBIDO EN ADOLESCENTES CON TRASTORNO DE LA CONDUCTA ALIMENTARIA

Múltiples investigaciones buscaron analizar la relación entre los estilos de crianza y los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria sin aún resultados concluyentes. En esa línea esta investigación buscó explorar la incidencia de los estilos parentales percibidos en los niveles de insatisfacción corporal de adolescentes con Trastornos de la Conducta Alimentaria (TCA). Se administró a 25 adolescentes, 80% mujeres y 20% hombres de entre 12 y 21 años con diagnostico de TCA un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y personales, el Inventario de Trastornos Alimentarios-3 (EDI-3), con adaptación lingüística y conceptual (Rutsztein, Maglio, Laura, Armatta, Leonardelli, López, Moiseeff, Murawski, Redondo &amp; Marola, 2006) y el Children’s Report of Parental Behavior (CRPB, Schaefer, 1965). En los resultados se esperaba encontrar que el estilo parental percibido con mayor frecuencia por los pacientes con TCA sea el autoritario. Teniendo en cuenta las tres dimensiones que evalúa la escala, se puede pensar que el resultado arroja un estilo más cercano al permisivo que al autoritario ya que la puntuación de la escala indica que hay mayor Aceptación y Autonomía Extrema que Control Patológico, entendiendo al estilo permisivo se caracteriza por poco control y tienen escasa exigencia de madurez, pero generan un alto nivel de comunicación y afecto. Lo que predomina es el dejar hacer y la aceptación de la conducta. Entre los hallazgos se postula la asociación del un estilo parental permisivo con los trastornos alimentarios y las posibles dificultades que ello puede arrojar a la hora de brindar el abordaje terapéutico.

Which Body Would You Like to Have? The Impact of Embodied Perspective on Body Perception and Body Evaluation in Immersive Virtual Reality.

In this experiment, we aimed to measure the conscious internal representation of one's body appearance and allow the participants to compare this to their ideal body appearance and to their real body appearance. We created a virtual representation of the internal image participants had of their own body shape. We also created a virtual body corresponding to the internal representation they had of their ideal body shape, and we built another virtual body based on their real body measures. Participants saw the three different virtual bodies from an embodied first-person perspective and from a third-person perspective and had to evaluate the appearance of those virtual bodies. We observed that female participants evaluated their real body as more attractive when they saw it from a third-person perspective, and that their level of body dissatisfaction was lower after the experimental procedure. We believe that third-person perspective allowed female participants to perceive their real body shape without applying the negative prior beliefs usually associated to the “self”, and that this resulted in a more positive evaluation of their body shape. We speculate that this method could be applied with patients suffering from eating disorders, by making their body perception more realistic and therefore improve their body satisfaction.