Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2003. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 524-538).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2010.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisors: Mary Steinhardt and John Bartholomew. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

M.Phil. / This study examined the relationship between perceived and observed body image of female Comrades Marathon athletes. To address this issue, 49 female Comrades Marathon athletes (mean age = 38.4) completed the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, a standardised instrument assessing affective, cognitive, and behavioural components of appearance-related body image. Anthropometry measured body height, body weight and body fat percentage and was calculated on the basis of six skinfolds as stipulated at the Montreal Olympic Games Anthropological Project. Two groups were established and subjects were classified as underweight or normal/overweight. General findings revealed that the two groups differed only according to three variables of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, being fitness orientation (p-value = 0.005<0.05), health orientation (p-value = 0.029< 0.05) and self-classified weight (p-value < 0.0005). Discussion focuses on factors that could influence perceived and observed body image and the role that exercise and sport play in the formation of an athlete’s body image. Practical implications for sport psychologists and coaches who work with athletes are addressed.

This master thesis focuses on proving the relevance and importance of body image in marketing. In theoretical part the thesis initially outlines basic marketing knowledge with special concentration on marketing research and segmentation. Next, sources of data and methodology used in the analytical part are described. In the analytical part itself the thesis firstly proves the relevance of body image as a segmentation variable on a few examples. First variable used for segmentation is the natural colour of hair, next variable used is the approach to own appearance and the last variable used is value orientation in context with body image. Finally this master thesis describes qualitative research on the topic influence of marketing on social perception of body image, that was carried out by the author.

No description available.

The adverse effects of exposure to unrealistic ideals in the media are well documented, however, this is the first study to explore the possibility that women may experience improvement in body image and affect via social comparison to women with realistic, non-ideal body shape and size. Using material from The Century Project©, the impact of exposure to nude, non-pornographic photographs of women of varied shape, size, age, and physical condition, and the photographed women's personal commentaries about how they successfully cope with body image concerns was tested using an experimental design. It was hypothesized that exposure to the photographs and their associated commentaries would lead to an improvement in body image, mood, and self-esteem, and that this effect would be moderated by preexisting levels of internalization of the thin ideal and strong core beliefs about the importance of appearance (schematicity). Women exposed to the photos and comments condition experienced significantly less appearance-related anxiety than those exposed to photo-only and comments-only conditions, and internalization, but not schematicity, moderated this effect. Findings suggest women who have a greater tendency to internalize sociocultural body image standards may be more receptive to positive changes in these standards when presented with a persuasive visual and cognitive stimulus. However, without both aspects (visual and commentary) high internalizers appear to experience greater negative reactions to these stimuli.

The current study was conducted to determine whether or not electronic gaming is related to the formation of certain body ideals and appraisals of attractiveness. A sample of 219 college-aged males (age 18 to 32) completed a variety of measures designed to gather information about their game play habits, their perceptions of their own attractiveness (MBSRQ, SMAQ), and their perceptions of women's attractiveness (BCRS, FRS, photographs of women of different BMIs). Results indicate that men's ratings of women's attractiveness vary across the genres of games most frequently played but that frequency of play and age of commencement of game play are not related to self-perceptions of physical attractiveness, the association of positive attributes with muscularity, or the drive to become more muscular. However, results suggest that men's appearance satisfaction and the degree to which they value muscularity are influenced by the extent to which they compare their own appearance to that of the characters they play in the games. Results indicate that unlike other forms of media, electronic gaming is not related to decreased appearance satisfaction in players or the formation of unrealistic standards of attractiveness for women.

No description available.

No description available.