Media's Influence on the Drive for Muscularity in Undergraduates

Brooke Cramblitt, Mary Pritchard

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although research has found that body ideals presented by the media influence women's body dissatisfaction, less is known about media's influence on men's body satisfaction. An online survey examining media use, the drive for muscularity, and internalization of appearance and body shape ideals was given to a sample of 311 participants comprised of both men and women. Results indicated (a) the more time men and women reported watching television, the higher their reported drive for muscularity (b) total hours of viewing sports-related, image-focused, and entertainment television related to increased drive for muscularity in women (c) drive for muscularity in men related to watching image-focused television and reading men's health magazines, and (d) internalization of athletic attitudes towards appearance mediated the relationship between total television watched and drive for muscularity in both genders. Clinicians may wish to utilize these findings when treating men and women suffering from drive for muscularity and body dysmorphia.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)441-446
Number of pages6
JournalEating Behaviors
Volume14
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2013

Keywords

  • Body ideals
  • Drive for muscularity
  • Internalized images
  • Media

EGS Disciplines

  • Psychiatry and Psychology

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