Appearance-related commentary, body image, and self-esteem: Does the distress associated with the commentary matter?

Research that has examined the association between appearance-based commentary and body image has generally focused on the frequency of occurrence of the commentary, not the subjective rating of the distress associated with the feedback. The current study examined both frequency and distress (effect) components of commentary in a sample of 246 undergraduate female students aged 18–25. Significant correlations were found between both frequency and effect dimensions of commentary and measures of body image disturbance and self-esteem. The utility of both frequency and effect variables in predicting body image disturbance and self-esteem was demonstrated in regression analyses. Implications of the findings for broadening the assessment of appearance-based commentary to include both dimensions of the construct are discussed.