Effects of exposure to thin-ideal media images on body dissatisfaction: Testing the inclusion of a disclaimer versus warning label

•Edited magazine advertisements to include a disclaimer or warning label.•Examined effects of exposure on body dissatisfaction and intent to diet in women.•Results suggested a non-significant effect of labeling on outcome measures.•Trait body dissatisfaction and internalization were significant moderators.•Results do not provide support for the use of disclaimers or warnings in magazines.

The current study was designed to determine whether the inclusion of a disclaimer (i.e., “Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person's physical appearance.”) or warning (i.e., “Warning: Trying to look as thin as this model may be dangerous to your health.”) added to images of thin/attractive models would affect body dissatisfaction and intent to diet in female undergraduate students (n = 342). Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (a) disclaimer, (b) warning, (c) model control, or (d) car control. Results revealed a significant interaction between group and time, whereby only the car control group reported a significant change (i.e., decrease) in body dissatisfaction over time. Groups did not differ on intent to diet measured at post-exposure. The results largely replicate other findings in this area and call into question advocacy efforts to label media images as a strategy to decrease women's identification with the stimuli.