A test of athletic internalisation as a mediator in the relationship between sociocultural influences and body dissatisfaction in women

• The athletic ideal was tested in the tripartite influence model with 421 women.
• Sociocultural influence, internalisation and body dissatisfaction were measured.
• Peer, family, and media pressure did not predict athletic ideal internalisation.
• Athletic ideal internalisation was not correlated with body dissatisfaction.
• Sociocultural influence on body dissatisfaction was not mediated by the athletic ideal.

The tripartite model has been an important and empirically supported theoretical model positing that the influence of peers, family, and media leads women to internalise the thin societal body ideal. This internalisation in turn leads women to experience body dissatisfaction. Recently, a new societal ‘athletic ideal’ for women has emerged, which promotes a body frame with pronounced lean muscle mass. This study tested the role of the athletic ideal in the tripartite model of influence with a sample of 421 women aged 17–40 years. Athletic ideal internalisation was neither found to be associated with body dissatisfaction, nor act as a mediator in the relationship between sociocultural influences and body dissatisfaction. Although more research is required, the results of this study suggest that for this cross-sectional sample of women, internalisation of an athletic and muscular, rather than thin ideal, may be less detrimental to body satisfaction.