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ABSTRACT
Assignment based on Advertising and its
idealization of images and details of the
research which I want conduct a using any
of the research methods quantitative
methods.

Ashwin HL
1646

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Title:

Consequences of glorified and iIdealized images in advertising and Body Discontent: The relationship
among An analysis/study of social comparison, self-discrepancy, and body discontentdiscrepancy.

Hypotheses:

H1: Women exposed to idealistic advertisements will report being more likely to engage in social
comparison, body discrepancy and experience greater body discontent and low self-esteem than
women not exposed to idealistic advertisements.

H2: Higher levels of self-reported body image self-discrepancy increase the likelihood for social
comparison effects and low self-esteem after exposure to idealistic advertisements.

Abstract:

Intro

When looking at objects in a formal, aesthetic manner, beauty is based on balance, harmony, and
juxtaposition of corresponding shapes and forms (e.g., cones, circles, squares, and rectangles). A human
body viewed as a formal, aesthetic object, for example, does not have an arm, chest, and stomach—it
has one rounded shape against another. In today's society, however, the human form is assessed on the
basis of individual perception—one that is greatly affected by the media world around us. Advertising
sells values, images, and concepts of success and worth, love and sexuality, and popularity and
normalcy, telling us who we are and who we should be. In effect, advertising across all platforms tends
to create an idealistic world in which people are rarely ugly, overweight, poor, struggling or disabled.
The mass media, due to their pervasiveness and reach, is probably the most powerful transmitter of
sociocultural ideals known today. It is apparent there is a strong cultural ideal of female beauty, and that
ideal has become synonymous with thinness.

The omnipresent ultra-thin female body image commonly presented in media and offered as the ideal
sets an impossible-to-achieve standard for most women. Current societal standards for beauty
inordinately emphasize the desirability of thinness, resulting in a mismatch between the ideal media
image and an individual's actual body image. Nevertheless, the ideal is accepted and internalized by
many women. If women internalize and strive for a beauty ideal that is rare and essentially unattainable,
it stands to reason they are likely to experience body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

About the study

This study examines the role of body self-discrepancy in social comparison processes from exposure to
thin-ideal media, as well as in the negative effects of such comparisons, to determine the relationship
between exposure to thin-ideal advertisements and self-esteem.

The proposed study will explore body image self-discrepancy and social comparison processes in their
effect on women after exposure to thin-ideal images in the media.
In addition, social comparison processes will be analyzed in the relationship among exposure to thin-
ideal advertisements, lowered self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction. This research may provide
evidence for a possible correlation between body dissatisfaction and proneness to social comparison
effects from exposure to thin-ideal media.

Method:

For the study, a convenience sample of roughly 50 female college students will be taken and women
with varying levels of body image self-discrepancy will be exposed to print advertisements depicting the
thin ideal. Body image self-discrepancy will be measured through survey questions, from which the
difference in perception of one’s own body physique and the ideal body physique will be calculated.

At the start of the study, participants will be handed a brief survey incorporating the Pictorial Body
Image Scale consisting of nine female figures that range in sizes from extremely thin to extremely
overweight. This survey scale will be used to determine participants' actual and ideal body images,
which will then allow for a measurement of actual-ideal discrepancy score. The difference between the
chosen ideal and the actual body image (questions 1 and 2; then 1 and 3) will determine participants’
levels of body image self-discrepancy.

Developed by Stunkard, Sorensen, and Schulsinger (Kety, Roland, Sigman, & Matthysse, 1983)
In the second part of the experiment, participants will be randomly assigned either the set of
advertisements with thin models. Each set of advertisements will consist of one print ad for perfume,
one for jewelry, one for clothing, and one for a cosmetics item. The test set will include a thin, attractive
model in each ad. After two minutes, each participant will be handed the experimental survey of which
they will be asked to complete based on their reactions towards the print advertisements. The 20-item
questionnaire will be included in the experimental survey as a means to assess self-esteem.

Developed by Heatherton and Polivy (1991)