“That camera adds ten pounds!:” Women's reactions to visual weight-related feedback and the role of trait body checking

•Women were shown an actual or modified (thinner or heavier) photo of themselves.•Mood, self-esteem, and body image were measured after photo exposure.•Seeing oneself as heavier than usual associated with worse self-esteem, body image.•Frequent body checkers more likely to see themselves as heavier in any photo.

In Study 1 women were randomly assigned to viewing: (1) no photo of themselves, (2) an accurate, full-body photo, (3) a photo modified to make them appear thinner than usual, or (4) a photo modified to make them appear heavier than usual. Measures of mood, state self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction were completed. There were no main effects of photo condition; participants were generally poor at perceiving weight change. The heavier that participants thought they looked in their photo as compared to usual, the worse their appearance self-esteem and body dissatisfaction. Study 2 replicated these results and found that participants with higher levels of trait body checking were more likely to report that they looked heavier than usual in the photo. Study 3 replicated these results and found that the correlation between body parts checking and how participants thought they looked in the photo held true even after controlling for appearance investment.