• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.563-578
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• 2022

Society's emphasis on a thin body ideal may intensify an individual's negative perceptions of fatness. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between sociocultural attitudes toward appearance (awareness and internalization of the female ideal) and anti-fat attitudes among middle-aged Korean women. In addition, the aim was to examine whether the body internalization of female ideals was a mediator in the proposed model. Participants included a sample of 264 middle-aged Korean women who completed a series of measures online. The following information was collected through online questionnaires: awareness and internalization of the female ideal, attitudes toward fat, body weight perception, and demographics. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis, descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The measurement model and the structural model testing provided an acceptable fit to the data, and all proposed pathways in the research model were statistically significant. Awareness of the female ideal was significantly and positively associated with internalization, and it significantly and positively predicted both constructs of anti-fat attitudes. Additionally, awareness of the female ideal was significantly and positively indirectly associated with attitudes toward fat people-dislike and willpower mediated by internalization. Overall, these findings suggest that society's emphasis on female appearance and a thin body can ultimately result in significant stigmatization of overweight/obese individuals. This study emphasizes the importance of establishing a healthy appearance standard to reduce anti-fat prejudice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.740-753
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• 2010

This study analyzes the motives of Korean women for choosing breast augmentation in a cultural and relational context; in addition, it investigates their evaluations after surgery. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 10 Korean women in their 20s and 30s who have received cosmetic breast augmentation. Enlarged and made-up breasts are a form of clothing that symbolizes the socio-economic status of women. In the vertical and individualized Korean society, the desire of women for a fashionable body invigorated the appearance management market. Fashion consumers have passively internalized the ideal body trends as the concept of the ideal body-image, which has been constructed by the social structure, markets, and the media. The analysis was rooted in post-modern feminist perspectives on the female body. The ideal body-image internalization process through the social interactions of participants was the main cultural factor to choose breast surgery. The self-image and conformity/individuality of participant were categorized as relational factors for the motivation to undergo breast surgery. The result showed that after surgery the participants achieved positive feedback from their social relationships. They expressed or hid their socio-economic statuses through their purchased fashion bodies. They also showed higher self-esteem and feelings of satisfaction by pursuing individuality and conformity as a member of society. Moreover, they achieved wider fashion options and greater controls over their public/private/secret clothing choices for certain occasions. Cosmetic breast surgery positively empowered individual women while reinforcing the socially manipulated body ideals that oppress women at the same time. Participants internalized socially constructed values and justified their surgery choices.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.510-524
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• 2021

Selfie practices on social media can result in negative body image for men. The current study investigated the dual body image pathway model for the relationship between selfie practices on social media and body satisfaction, with internalization as a mediator. Structural equation modeling analyses supported our research model when studying 446 young Korean male Instagram users. The results indicated that selfie editing behavior, but not selfie browsing behavior, significantly predicted an increased internalization of a body ideal. The positive associations between internalization, muscularity dissatisfaction, and body fat dissatisfaction were confirmed. Additionally, the indirect effects of selfie editing behavior on muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction due to internalization were significant. The study confirmed the detrimental effects of selfie behavior on body satisfaction for male social media users. The results provided valuable information that selfie editing may be a risky behavior since it can result in developing muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction. Theoretical contributions and practical implications were discussed. Future research should address the age and cultural differences that may elucidate the impacts of selfie practices on men's body image concerns.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.126-136
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• 2011

Purpose: The increase of cosmetic surgery procedures is partly motivated by more positive attitude toward cosmetic surgery as a means of improving physical appearance. In this study factors expected to predict need for cosmetic surgery were examined. Methods: A descriptive design was used with 321 high school girls who completed a questionnaire about sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, body image, self-esteem, and need for cosmetic surgery. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to examine factors affecting need for cosmetic surgery. Results: Bivariate correlations showed that need for cosmetic surgery was positively correlated with internalization and awareness of sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, and appearance orientation in body image and negatively correlated with self-esteem and ideal body mass index (BMI). Multiple regression showed that the predictive variables explained 22.1% in need for cosmetic surgery. The significant factors influencing need for cosmetic surgery were greater internalization and awareness of sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, better appearance evaluation and higher appearance orientation in body image, lower self-esteem, and lower ideal BMI. Conclusion: Overall, results of this research suggest that prevention of media influence and body image disturbances, and promotion of self-esteem are very important to young women.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.549-561
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• 2019

This study investigated the impact of appearance pressure from celebrities' social media upon internalization of mesomorphic ideal and muscularity dissatisfaction and the moderating role of time spent on social media in the relationships among variables in a sample of young Korean men (N=247). Those men who regularly participate in physical activities more than three times a week were included in our sample. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that celebrities' social media pressure directly influenced both internalization and muscularity dissatisfaction, and internalization predicted muscularity dissatisfaction. A significant mediating effect of internalization in the relationships between celebrities' social media pressure and muscularity dissatisfaction was found. However, the moderating effect of time spent on social media was not found. The present results highlight the significant and negative effects of celebrities' social media on male's body image perception. By comparing the results of this study to previous studies, we can anticipate that the effects of social media on users' body image concerns can differ between male and female in the matter of time spent on social media. Implications of the study results and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.523-530
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• 2011

This study aims to make a comparison between variables influencing female college students' body shame and appearance change intention in individualist culture(Germany) and collectivist culture(Korea, China), that which variable among individual's physical character(BMI), psychological character(public self-image), and sociocultural pressure has the biggest influence in each culture. The findings of the research are as follows. 1. The German group of female college students had the highest BMI, and there were no difference between Korean and Chinese group. Public self-consciousness, sociocultural pressure, ideal appearance attitude, body shame, and appearance change intention were highest in Korea and lowest in Germany. 2. The variables that affected body shame were powerful in the order of sociocultural pressure, appearance internalization, BMI, and appearance awareness in the Korean group of female college students. In the Chinese group, the order was sociocultural pressure, appearance internalization, and public self-consciousness. On the contrary, in the German group the order was appearance internalization, appearance awareness, sociocultural pressure, and public self-consciousness. 3. The variables that affected appearance change intention were powerful in the order of sociocultural pressure, body shame, and appearance awareness in the Korean group of female college students. In the Chinese group, the order was sociocultural pressure, body shame, and appearance awareness, and in the German group, the order was appearance internalization, body shame, and BMI.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.14 no.3 s.62
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• pp.514-527
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• 2006

It can be said that the ultimate goal of advertising is creating consumers' buying intention and buying behavior toward advertised goods. But literature suggests that ads have both intended and unintended consequences, and one of the unintended consequences is that the idealized images of physical attractiveness found in advertising have negative impact on girls' and womens' self-perceptions. Thus, this study, using social comparison theory as a framework, was designed to investigate the influences of the images of models in ads portrayed in TV and fashion magazines on the purchasing intention, self-esteem and body satisfaction of college women. Using an experimental stimulus, a moving picture representing thin and attractive models in the context of advertising fashion goods, two conditions were manipulated and the subjects were placed into one of two groups randomly, the experiment group and the control group. The experiment group only was exposed to the ads portraying highly attractive models. Data were collected from two groups using same questionnaire. The data were analyzed using t-test, two-way ANOVA, and descriptive statistics. The findings were as follows: 1. The thin and attractive image of models in ads on buying intention had significant positive influence on buying intention(p<.05). 2. The thin and attractive image of models in ads had significant negative influences on self-esteem(p<.05). 3. The thin and attractive image of models in ads had significant negative influence on body satisfaction(p<.05). 4. The ideal body internalization had significant negative influences on body satisfaction(p<.05), but interaction effect of model's image and ideal body internalization on body satisfaction was not significant.