Do These Norms Make Me Look Fat? The Effect of Exposure to Others’ Body Preferences on Personal Body Ideals

• We examined the influence of normative body ideals on personal body ideals.
• We presented bogus peer preferences that supported either a very thin or a heavy body ideal.
• Personal body ideals were influenced in the direction of the manipulated normative body ideals.
• Body dissatisfaction was not influenced by the manipulated normative body ideals.
• Ideal body size is influenced by social factors beyond the mass media, including peer preferences.

In this study we examined the influence of normative body ideals in the form of perceived peer preferences on personal body ideals and body dissatisfaction Participants (N = 146 female college students) were exposed to the purported preferences of peers representing either relatively thin or heavy body ideals. Along with the normative body ideal manipulation, the gender of the purported peers was manipulated. Participants then selected their ideal for their own body and body dissatisfaction was measured. Women selected a thinner personal body ideal in the thin norm condition than in the heavy norm condition. This effect was seen irrespective of the gender of the purported peers. Body dissatisfaction was not influenced by the manipulation. The malleability of body image and the influence of social factors on ideal body size are discussed.