Self-concept clarity, thin-ideal internalization, and appearance-related social comparison as predictors of body dissatisfaction

•This study examined predictors of body dissatisfaction among women.•Thin-ideal internalization mediated the link between appearance comparisons and body dissatisfaction.•Self-concept clarity was negatively correlated with thin-ideal internalization and appearance comparisons.•Thin-ideal internalization mediated the link between self-concept clarity and body dissatisfaction.

This study examined the associations among self-concept clarity, thin-ideal internalization, appearance-related social comparison tendencies, and body dissatisfaction. Female university students (N = 278) completed self-report measures of these constructs. Structural equation modeling revealed several key findings: (a) thin-ideal internalization mediated the link between appearance-related social comparison tendencies and body dissatisfaction; (b) self-concept clarity was negatively associated with both thin-ideal internalization and appearance-related social comparison tendencies; and (c) thin-ideal internalization mediated the link between self-concept clarity and body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that low self-concept clarity might contribute to body image problems because it increases women's vulnerability to thin-ideal internalization and appearance-related social comparison tendencies.