The Effects of Commercial Exercise Video Models on Women's Self-Presentational Efficacy and Exercise Task Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This experiment examined the effects of commercial exercise video models on women's self-presentational efficacy (SPE) and exercise task self-efficacy (EXSE). Participants were 101 women (M age = 20.1, SD = 1.14) who completed baseline measures of exercise status, SPE, and EXSE. One week later, they watched an exercise video featuring either “perfect-looking” exercisers whose bodies epitomized the ultra-thin, ultra-toned female cultural body ideal, or a video in which the exercisers were considered more “normal-looking.” Post-video, the SPE and EXSE measures were readministered along with a measure of exercise intentions. Controlling for baseline measures of self-efficacy, a series of 2 (model condition: perfect-looking vs. normal-looking) × 2 (participant's exercise status: regular exerciser vs. infrequent/nonexerciser) ANCOVAs indicated women who saw the perfect-looking models had lower post-test SPE regardless of their exercise status (p < .05) and that nonexercisers had lower post-test SPE after watching either type of model (p < .05). There were no effects of model type on EXSE. SPE also explained significant variance in exercise intentions (ΔR2 = .06) beyond that explained by EXSE (ΔR2 = .39). Results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical significance.

Notes

¹ Prior to conducting this study, a concerted decision was made to use commercial videotapes as the stimulus materials rather than create experimental videotapes in which potential confounds such as background music and camera angles could be controlled. It was decided that controlled, experimental videotapes would result in a loss of study generalizability and a loss in mundane realism that heightened the significance of this applied study.

² As determined by pilot testing.

^a Estimated marginal means for the exercise status conditions.

^b Estimated marginal means for the model conditions.

^∗ p < .01.

^∗∗ p < 0.001.

³ When developing the stimuli for this study, it was extremely difficult to locate videos featuring exercisers who were not representative of the cultural body image ideal. Unfortunately, it seems that “perfect exercisers” are the norm in workout videos, rather than the exception.