Waifish models have long been accused of setting unrealistic beauty standards and lowering self-esteem. Some companies, such as Dove, have switched to using more realistic-looking models in conjunction with empowering messages. However, an important new study in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that, contrary to many assumptions, looking at moderately heavy models actually lowers most women’s self-esteem, while looking at moderately thin models raises it.
“We demonstrated that exposure to thin models does not necessarily have a negative impact on one’s self-esteem,” explain Dirk Smeesters (Tilburg University) and Naomi Mandel (Arizona State University). “On the contrary, exposure to moderately thin (but not extremely thin) models has a positive impact on one’s self-esteem.”
See also: Fleshy thighs on parade
In the first part of the study, participants selected four representative models in each category – extremely thin, moderately thin, moderately heavy, and extremely heavy – from a larger sample of images. These images were then shown to randomly chosen women in conjunction with a “lexical decision trial” – that is, the participants were timed as they responded to words related to thinness and heaviness.
Looking at moderately thin or extremely heavy models led to an increase in self-perception of thinness and an increase in self-esteem. By contrast, seeing extremely thin or moderately heavy models focused women’s thoughts on how heavy they felt.
These results shed light on why magazines featuring only plus-sized models don’t have the success of the magazine that feature slim models: “…campaigns featuring moderately heavy ‘real women’ might not be as inspirational (or effective) as expected,” conclude Smeesters and Mandel.
From University of Chicago Press Journals
Looking at extremely heavy models increases self-esteem as well, according to this study. So maybe the catalogs that sell to larger sizes should go for supersize models?
Apparently my ideas are too feeble to stand on their own. Therefore I use all caps to get attention.
WHO CARES? WE SHOULD BE PUTTING OUR TIME AND EFFORTS INTO SOMETHING OTHER THAN MODELS. IM A SIZE 9, NOT TALL OR THIN ENOUGH TO BE A RUNWAY MODEL AND IM NOT BIG ENOUGH TO BE A “BBW” MODEL… BUT I DONT CARE. GOD MADE ME THIS WAY FOR A REASON AND I LOVE IT. GET OVER IT. THIS KIND OF THING BELITTLE’S WOMEN ESPECIALLY YOUNG WOMEN LIKE MYSELF. TEACH PEOPLE TO LOVE THEMSELVES. AS LONG AS YOU ARE HEALTHY, WHO CARES IF U DONT MEET THE REQUIREMENT TO WALK A CAT WALK… THOSE CHICKS ARENT ANY SMARTER, ANY MORE DESIREABLE AND NO BETTER THAN I AM.
these opinions on women make me glad to be me….
When people see “normal” models it doesn’t make them think of weight as much as “heavy models” because it is normal, where as “heavy models” aren’t the norm so people start thinking in terms of weight when they see them.
To me this study is just a sad story on the state of society we have been programed to think that thin is the norm and “heavy set” is not.
You are an idiot and I am ashamed I share the same Earth with you….
my girl crazy, man!
As you know the media is making thousands of millions of money by running such model magazines, porn movies, etc.
So this really changes any ones mind, because these slim, fat, etc womens bodies shapes gets injected in every one who sees them, in fact these media shows these models in porn movies, or model magazine in very good views, even in the model magazines the women bodies are fake beauty i presume. They are airbrushes they use for this certain types of computer software to make the breast little bit bigger, working on the eyes, the lips, hips, etc.
So its our fault we watch them as a beauty and the media makes huge money.
The porn movies are really seducing the youth and old or teen to the number of crimes and rare diseases.
The No:1 problem is it really destroy the beautiful bond of marriage by watching to these porn movies and the media models. It also becomes the cause of raping.
According to my knowledge the porn media has now crossed the human nature line. They are now busy in making very unbearable things, such as porn sex for shit lover, porn sex for during menstruation lover, daughter sex with dad, mom sex with son, sex with animals and on and on etc.
Do you think these people are human they eat shit while having sex, they drink pea.
I recommend you avoid these porn movies and model magazine and watching media etc. Simply accept yourself than see what happens, web hosting needs you will become on top of the world.
You go, girl!
Women obsess about their appearance because it is ALL THEY HAVE. UNTIL you start asking men out, instead of sitting around WAITING for MEN to ask YOU out, you will have nothing other than your body to attract them…
So why aren’t women encouraging each other to take their ‘equality’ and ASK MEN OUT, ALL the time? Then there would be no more men hassling you, because society could, in a matter of weeks, decide that ALL the approaches would be made by women. You women have no idea, nor do you WANT to have any idea, of what it’s like being a man and having to face rejection. And also, of being treated like a potential rapist just because you approached a woman. Guess what? No man alive has ever felt afraid just because a woman approached him and asked him out on a date, whereas PLENTY of women are afraid of men who approach them – and guess what? NICE men don’t approach you, precisely because they don’t want to make you feel afraid. So guess what men DO approach you? The men who don’t CARE what you feel. Great way to pick a man…
So stop being the gutless cowards you are, and start embracing the ‘equality’ you all claim to have…
It is logical for someone to want someone who is healthy. Generally obese or otherwise heavy people are unhealthy. Men get so much flak for choosing thin women over fat ones but is alright for women to choose rich men over poor ones. I mean it seems to me that most women would rather be a rich man’s mistress than a poor man’s wife. Look at the cultures that allow polygmy. The rich and powerful men take all of the attractive and healthy women and the poor men are left with the scraps. It is no wonder you have frustrated young men in the middle east blowing themselves up. It is out of sexual frustration. They are poor and have no one and never will therefore they feel as if they have nothing to lose. Look what happens. The only reason that it has not turned out this way in Utah is because men can go to other states with lower morman populations where this is not the case.
It seems rather logical to me. It has gotten worse over the last decade or so with the stalker phenomenon. These days you can lose your job or get kicked out of school for asking a woman out. It can be sexual harrasment if you just tell a woman she looks nice at work. If they are so concerned about being stalked or sexually harrassed then they should have to do the asking. Rejection is not the only thing that a man has to fear from asking out a woman. He could lose his job, get ejected from school, or attacked from a jealous boyfriend that he did not know that she already had.The only thing, however, that a woman has to fear from asking a man out is rejection. Did I forget to mention the multi-million dollar lawsuits filed for sexual harrassment? The workplace and or school is where at least half of all people meet their potential mates. Now, however it has become almost unacceptable. What are men supposed to think? We are supposed to be persistant but now that makes you a stalker. We are supposed to ask the women out but now that is sexual harrasment. We are not supposed to be shallow but it is alright for women to care about money more than anything. We are supposed to be sensitive now but not weak. I mean what are we supposed to think?
I agree with most of the comments people have posted here!
If pictures of skinny women made us feel better about ourselves, than why is the number of girls suffering from eating disorders increasing like this?
It’s ridiculous to say the media aren’t making women feel insecure about themselves-and why shouldn’t they? There’s a gigantic market out there, living only off the insecurity we feel. Most of plastic surgeons, the diet industry and tons of producers of “magical cellulite creams” and “magical anti-aging creams” would be left bankrupt if we started accepting and loving ourselves for who we are.
I’m not telling women to stop wearing make-up or stop exercising-not at all. I think it’s great to take care of my body and enhance my positive features- as long it doesn’t make me end up criticising myself to the point of masochism and comparing myself to other women all the time.
As long as they’re healthy and confident with their shapes, everybody is beautiful in their own way!
We should celebrate the fact that there is a new kid in town or rather, there is a new kind of model on the scene today. Plump, pretty, voluptuous and self assured.
There are a countless number of TV programmes and shows that have featured some episode having to do with women feeling bad about their bodies, precisely that they are not skinny enough. Society blames this on the media but what about the individual who is not happy with the way they look? it is not a media problem that can be fixed by showing pictures of “real women”. Every woman is a real woman. Society has now taken it upon itself to criticize women who are genetically petite, sort of like a vendetta on behalf of their “full-figured” counterparts. It is deemed normal for anyone to walk up to a young lady and say “you are so skinny”. However it is wrong to tell someone that they look fat. Now, why is that? what about the girl who is just skinny, how is she supposed to feel when she is told that she is unattractive and needs to put on some weight? Then she resorts to unhealthy eating, without throwing up mind you; basically reverse anorexia? Society is hyprocritical. People need to start accepting that there is no such thing as perfection. Human beings cannot be perfect, there is always something out of line somewhere and that is the beauty of life. Britney Spears isn’t perfect, she makes mistakes and hey, that’s the way things go sometimes. Beyonce isn’t perfect, Tom Cruise isn’t perfect, Brad Pit, Angelina Jolie and the list goes on and on. They are just real, imperfect, and incredibly talented individuals who are basically trying to make a living by entertaining the rest of us. What do we do? we punish ourselves by striving to be like them. Then we punish them when like human beings do sometimes – they make mistakes. Yes, they are attractive but being attractive does not guarantee happiness. There is nothing wrong with emulating their works, such as Angelina Jolie’s work with the United Nations. However trying to look like her is quite something else. People should love themselves and love their differences. Yes, the media may contribute to the perceptions that people have of themselves and anorexia is real. But the root cause is not the media, it is us, human beings. It is in our nature to judge and criticize. Until we fix that then there are still going to be tons and tons of unhappy women and men for that matter. Banning models from catwalks is not going to help, that is fashion show producers trying to put on a good face. Some men in the public eye are being careful enough to state that they love “voluptuous” women. Well, that is still setting a standard. The same like saying “I love skinny women”. Basically, we have the same problem. Human beings will be human beings. As a woman I can speak for myself: I will love myself first and not wait for society to love me.
I agree precisely – having been a sufferer of anorexia in my youth, I found reading this article to be basically telling me that I was a freak. I know for a fact that every girl in my grade would clutch at her stomach whenever our schoolbus would go past a stick-thin model on a billboard, and then the ‘curvacious’ size 10s would make us worry about our boobs or our hips. Our ass either wasn’t ‘curvy’ enough or not ‘thin’ enough. By the way, since when are word associations a reliable way of judging self-esteem?
I think part of the problem is that for the most part the models are NOT even plump.
They are called ‘outsize’ if they are a size 12 – that could be the girl in your office that’s got the most enviable curves combined with a washboard stomach.
Calling such people ‘bigger’ or ‘outsize’ is plain ridiculous.
Secondly, ‘bigger’ models only make girls feel worse as they are usually stick insects with huge breasts and curvaceous hips.
This only makes us feel worse as girls are effectively being told either to aspire to a stick-thin physique or an unrealistic hourglass with surgically enhanced breasts and a miniscule waist.
Until the media portrays a more realistic scope of female form, the self-image problems will continue.
In the streets every day you see all shapes and sizes, but that’s not the case on TV or in magazines.