Investigating the influence of media on male body image: in search of a potential moderator

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to examine the effect of media exposure on male body image. The experimental manipulation involved exposing participants to slideshows which depicted either images of lean/muscular male bodies, thin male bodies, average male bodies, or athletic apparel. Other objectives were to examine if attitudes towards muscularity moderate this experimentally induced acute body dissatisfaction, if it in fact existed, as well as to examine the validity and sensitivity (sensitivity to body image size in terms of fatness and muscularity) of the dependent measures implored. There were no significant differences in the amounts of body dissatisfaction seen across each of the four slideshows. Results did however support the use of all three of the body image assessment measures (Body Image Assessment, BIA; Body Morph Assessment, BMA; and Somatomorphic Matrix, SM) in measuring various aspects of male body image. The BIA and BMA were mainly sensitive to measuring "thinness/fatness" and not muscularity, whereas the SM was capable of measuring both. Although none of the three body image assessment measures were sensitive to detecting the attempted manipulation of media's effect of acute body dissatisfaction, this may be due to a weak manipulation resulting from attempts to control for the facial attraction and race/ethnicity of the males featured in the advertisements.