Often Advertisers make the argument that thinness sells, and so that’s why they use very slim models.

However, Australian Psychologist Phillippa Diedrichs, at the University of Queensland, Australia, has conducted the first empirical research into how people perceive advertisements, as they relate to the size of the model, and how willing those consumers would be to buy products, based on the size of the model.

In the study, Diedrichs created a series of mock adverts for underwear, shampoo and a party dress. One group of adverts utilizing a size eight model, with the other group featured a size 12 woman.

Then, when these ads were shown to more than 300 young people, who were asked to rate how likely they would be to buy the products in the advertisements, and how they felt about their own body image after seeing the adverts. Diedrichs found no difference in the likelihood of respondents buying the advertised products, relative to whether they had seen the adverts featuring the skinnier model versus the ad showing the bigger woman. And, further, both men and women rated each set of advertisements as equally effective.

However, women who saw the size 12 models felt significantly better about their own bodies in comparison to those who saw the thinner models.

Ms Diedrichs explained that her research offered implications that could promote positive body image, saying:

It is often argued that only thin models will sell. However, my research indicates that average-size models may be just as effective in advertisements and that many consumers actually want to see more realistic models.

My research provides an evidence-base for this, by demonstrating that presenting more average-sized models in the media has the potential to improve body image.

 

You might also enjoy reading:-

• Do Porn stars set a bad example?
• Lad’s mags cause men to obsess about body image
• Love keeps partners faithful
• Even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford
• Are Men Really More Promiscuous Than Women?

Posted by Jonathan in Psychology, Sociology

No Comments »