Prior research has shown that women with a positive image of their physique tend to eat healthier, exercise more and have a superior overall self-image.
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Related links
- Andrea L. Meltzer
- Social Psychological and Personality Science: “Telling women that men desire women with bodies larger than the thin-ideal improves women’s body satisfaction”
- SMU Department of Psychology
- Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences
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Results of the three independent studies suggest a woman’s body image is strongly linked to her perception of what she thinks men prefer. The researchers found that how women perceive men’s preferences influenced each woman’s body image independent of her actual body size and weight. “On average, heterosexual women believe that heterosexual men desire ultra-thin women,” says Meltzer.
The article, “Women’s Body Image Relies On Men’s Opinion, Study Finds,” was published Jan. 15.
Meltzer is an assistant professor in the SMU Department of Psychology.
EXCERPT:
AFP/Relaxnews
When told that men desire full-bodied, voluptuous figures, women felt better about their own weight, say researchers at Southern Methodist University in the US.“A woman’s body image is strongly linked to her perception of what she thinks men prefer,” says lead author and social psychologist Andrea Meltzer of SMU.
Heterosexual women, says Meltzer, tend to believe that men prefer the dieted-down, ultra-thin bodies that dominate the media.
“Consequently, this study suggests that interventions that alter women’s perception regarding men’s desires for ideal female body sizes may be effective at improving women’s body image,” she says.
This would be an important step for women’s health and well-being because prior research has shown that women with a positive image of their physique tend to eat healthier, exercise more and have a superior overall self-image.
On the flipside, those who are unhappy with their body have less sex, less sexual satisfaction and less marital satisfaction.
“It is possible that women who are led to believe that men prefer women with bodies larger than the models depicted in the media may experience higher levels of self-esteem and lower levels of depression,” says Meltzer.
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