Helen Bennett is a freelance writer previously
employed in the healthcare sector for many years, with a varied career that
took in many aspects of helping people, particularly in matters relating to
diet, nutrition and fitness. She joins us today to discuss the positive
influence of plus-size models.
Plus-Size Models: A Psychological Boost for
Women
The rise in popularity of plus-size models
has been the subject of much debate in the media of late. While many consumers
of media and social media welcome the advent of a greater variety of body types
and praise the positive effect they can have on young women, others have
criticized the phenomenon. The most widely cited scandal involved 1980s
supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, who indirectly stated that being full
figured and being healthy, were mutually exclusive concepts.
Ashley Graham, arguably the world’s most
famous full-figured model, noted that health was an individual matter that
could not be judged from a photograph. The model has a 29-inch waist which is
far from ‘dangerous’ according to experts on ‘metabolically healthy obesity’,
who deem that in general, women with a high BMI but a waist size of no more
than 35 inches, can be healthy, whenever their blood pressure, cholesterol and
blood sugar levels are within normal range, they have normal sensitivity to
insulin and they enjoy good physical fitness. Experts at Harvard University
note that genes also
play an important role in how a person’s body and metabolism respond to weight – some may be
genetically protected from becoming insulin resistant, which is good news in
terms of keeping
life-threatening illnesses at bay.
Although matters of physical health
continue to be debated, one area that is clearly benefited from the curvy model
phenomenon, is our psychological health. A new
study by researchers at Florida State University has shown that
women were more likely to pay attention to and recall average and plus-size
models, in comparison to thin models. They also enjoyed a boost in their
psychological health, as measured by psychophysiological responses, when they
were exposed to these images.
For the study, researchers gathered 49
college-aged women, all of whom had expressed the desire to be thinner. The
women were shown various photographs of women of different sizes—thin, average
and plus-size. The researchers recorded the participants’ psychophysiological
responses; after image exposure, the women also answered questions about their
level of satisfaction with their own bodies and the way they compared
themselves to the models they had seen in the imagery. The results showed very
different reactions to thin and plus-sized models, respectively.
When participants looked at thin models,
they made more comparisons, paid less attention to the details of the
photographs and remembered less about the models as a whole. They also reported
lower body satisfaction, which can be harmful to mental health. However, when
average and plus-sized women were seen in images, participants concentrated
more on the images, made fewer comparisons with themselves and remembered the
models more. They also reported feeling better about their own body image. The
researchers concluded that portraying more realistic body types in the media
can wield important advantages for women, primarily because it would help them
feel more body positive.
Other research has shown that poor body
image can be damaging to more than just a woman’s psychological wellbeing. One
study carried out at the University of Mississippi Health showed that having
negative feelings about one’s body can lead women to engage in riskier health
behaviors, including substance abuse or unsafe sex. The researchers also stated
that it was important for parents and those producing social media content, to
help young women overcome these issues by avoiding the publication of
unrealistic images.
Another study published by researchers at
Chapman University found that both men and women can benefit greatly from
feeling good about their bodies. "Our study shows that men's and women's
feelings about their weight and appearance play a major role in how satisfied
they are with their lives overall," stated the lead researcher.
Despite the known effects of poor body
image, only 24 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women feel very or extremely
satisfied with their weight and only 50 per cent feel somewhat to very
satisfied. There is still an unrealistic expectation on women to be thin, and
men to display a lean/athletic physique. In addition to unrealistic imagery
published by the media, additional factors that are linked with lesser
satisfaction with one’s appearance and weight include watching numerous hours
of television a week, and having a fearful or dismissive attachment style.
While we still have a
long way to go in terms of self-acceptance, the research universally shows that
repeated exposure to unrealistic body images can influence our eating patterns
and psychological wellbeing. The media has certainly come a long way in terms
of diversity and acceptance.
photo credit: Charlotte Astrid <a
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/47526043@N04/4497292636">Body
Image. The subjective concept of one's physical appearance based on
self-observation and the reactions of others.</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a>
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>
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