Magazine Exposure: Internalization, Self-Objectification, Eating Attitudes, and Body Satisfaction in Male and Female University Students

Morry, Marian M.
Staska, Sandra L.

¹University of Manitoba
²University of Winnipeg.

³Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Marian M. Morry, University of Manitoba, Psychology Department, P401 Duff Roblin, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T-2N2, Canada (E-mail: [email protected]).

This research was conducted as part of the second author's Honours Thesis at the University of Winnipeg. We thank Manly Spigelman for his comments while designing the study. We also thank Gerry Sande, Jacquie Vorauer, and the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions on this article.

Received Date: May 23, 2000; Revised Date: January 5, 2001; Accepted Date: April 2, 2001

Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 33(4):p 269-279, October 2001.

Abstract Résumé

The relationships among magazine exposure, self-objectification, body shape dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology in men and women were investigated. Women reading beauty magazines and men reading fitness magazines internalized societal ideals (internalization). For women, beauty magazines predicted self-objectification, mediated by internalization. For men, only internalization predicted self-objectification. For men, fitness magazines predicted body shape dissatisfaction, mediated by internalization. For women, only internalization predicted body shape dissatisfaction. Reading magazines also predicted eating problems for men and women, for women this was mediated by internalization. These findings suggest that magazine reading is related to concerns with physical appearance and eating behaviours. Many of the relationships previously found for women are similar for men. A socio-cultural model is used to explain these results.

Dans la présente étude, on a examiné les relations entre la lecture des revues, l'auto-objectivation, l'insatisfaction face à la forme corporelle et les symptômes de troubles alimentaires dans une population composée d'hommes et de femmes. Les femmes qui lisent des revues de beauté et les hommes qui lisent des revues de conditionnement physique faisaient leurs les idéaux de la société (intériorisation). Dans le cas des femmes, la lecture des revues de beauté permettait de prédire l'auto-objectivation, et indirectement, l'intériorisation. Dans le cas des hommes, seule l'intériorisation permettait de prédire l'auto-objectivation. Pour ceux-ci, la lecture de revues de conditionnement physique permettait deprédire l'insatisfaction face à la forme corporelle, et indirectement, l'intériorisation. En revanche, chez les femmes, seule l'intériorisation permettait de prédire l'insatisfaction face à la forme corporelle. La lecture de revues a en outre permis de prédire les troubles alimentaires, tant chez les hommes que chez les femmes, et dans le cas de ces dernières, ce facteur était indirectement prédit par l'intériorisation. Nos conclusions nous portent à croire que la lecture de tels magazines est liée aux inquiétudes face à l'apparence physique et aux comportements alimentaires. Plusieurs de ces relations, soulevées antérieurement en ce qui a trait aux femmes, s'appliquent dans une certaine mesure aux hommes. On a ensuite recours à un modèle socio-culturel pour expliquer ces résultats.