Does Media Literacy Mitigate Risk for Reduced Body Satisfaction Following Exposure to Thin-Ideal Media?
Open accessAbstract
Exposure to thin-ideal media can contribute to increased body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls. Understanding the factors that may prevent or exacerbate the negative effects of media exposure on body dissatisfaction is important to facilitate prevention of these problems. This study evaluated the effects of exposure to thin-ideal media images on body image in three instructional set experimental conditions: appearance comparison, peer norms, and control. An important aim was to examine baseline levels of media literacy as a protective factor and trait thin-ideal internalization and trait upward appearance comparison as risk factors. Early adolescent girls (N = 246) completed baseline measures and 1 week later viewed thin-ideal media images, before and after which they rated their state body satisfaction. Participants in the appearance comparison instruction but not peer norms instruction condition had significantly reduced body satisfaction. Media literacy, particularly high levels of critical thinking, mitigated the negative effects of trait thin-ideal internalization and trait upward appearance comparison on body satisfaction outcomes. These findings provide evidence for the role of media literacy as a protective factor against the negative effects on body satisfaction of exposure to thin-ideal media images, and also provide evidence to support the development and implementation of media literacy-based body image interventions.
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School- and community-based preventive interventions can educate girls regarding social media-related risks for body image concerns by increasing media skepticism, awareness of advertisers' motives, and rejection of unrealistic appearance ideals.
“School- and community-based preventive interventions can educate girls regarding SM-related risks for body image concerns, by increasing media skepticism, awareness of advertisers' motives, and rejection of unrealistic appearance ideals (e.g., Gordon et al., 2020; McLean et al., 2016).”
From The Perfect Storm: A Developmental-Sociocultural Framework for the Role of Social Media in Adolescent Girls' Body Image Concerns and Mental Health. (2022) · cites this paper as McLean et al., 2016
The Discussion (page unavailable in our copy) supports media-literacy prevention for adolescent girls, particularly critical thinking about media and skepticism toward unrealistic thin-ideal images. The Media literacy section includes an item about noticing how advertisers attract attention. The paper does not test school- or community-based interventions, establish that they increase these skills, or specifically evaluate prevention of social-media-related risks. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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“School- and community-based preventive interventions can educate girls regarding SM-related risks for body image concerns, by increasing media skepticism, awareness of advertisers’ motives, and rejection of unrealistic appearance ideals (e.g., Gordon et al., 2020; McLean et al., 2016).”
BackgroundRodgers, R. F., Slater, A., Gordon, C. S., McLean, S. A., Jarman, H. K., & Paxton, S. J. (2020) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-019-01190-0 · Cited by 296 · see citing works
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- Authors
- McLean, S. A., Paxton, S. J., & Wertheim, E. H.
- Affiliations
- La Trobe University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- McLean, Siân A.
- Venue
- Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Published
- 2016-02-15
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1678-1695
- ISSN
- 0047-2891 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-6601
- OpenAlex
- W2284148232
- Cited by
- 175
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 53 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 5
- FWCI
- 22.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- vuir.vu.edu.au
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Youth and Adolescence (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Rotary Health
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- media literacy, body satisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, appearance comparison, peer norms, adolescent girls, critical thinking, body image, protective factors
- MeSH terms
- Literacy, Adolescent, Body Image, Defense Mechanisms, Female, Humans, Mass Media, Personal Satisfaction, Risk Factors, Social Values, Thinking, Thinness, Protective Factors
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