“I (Don’t) Respect My Body”: Investigating the Role of Mass Media Use and Self-Objectification on Adolescents’ Positive Body Image in a Cross-National Study

ABSTRACT

This cross-national survey among Austrian, Belgian, Spanish, and South Korean boys and girls (N = 1,983; M_age = 14.41, SD = 1.08) investigated the association between mass media use, self-objectification, and positive body image. In doing so, we (a) extended existing research on the link between media use and positive body image by including different media genres that are known to be part of adolescents’ media diets, (b) introduced self-objectification as a potential mediator, (c) differentiated between boys and girls, and (d) tested these assumptions across diverse cultural settings. Overall, our findings suggest that the use of different types of media that emphasize physical beauty and (sexual) appearance relate both negatively as well as positively to adolescents’ appreciation of their own body. Self-objectification (i.e., valuing one’s appearance characteristics over competence/functionality characteristics) is negatively related to adolescents’ positive body image, indicating a mediating mechanism. Our results highlight the need for further research on the content of mass media and a positive body image.

Acknowledgments

We want to acknowledge and thank our international project partners Jounghwa Choi, Llouís Mas Manchón, and Michael Prieler.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

¹ The current paper uses data that is part of an intercultural study project that examined links between media usage and well-being among adolescents in four different countries. Further information can be obtained upon sending an e-mail to the first author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kathrin Karsay

Kathrin Karsay (Ph.D., University of Vienna, 2018) is a post-doctoral researcher at the School for Mass Communication Research, supported by the Research Foundation – Flanders. In her current research, she aims to understand the relationship between young people’s digital media use (social media, smartphone use) and psychological well-being.

Jolien Trekels

Jolien Trekels is a post-doctoral researcher at the School for Mass Communication Research, supported by the Research Foundation – Flanders. She is interested in adolescents’ encounters with and interpretation of media content. In particular, during her doctoral and post-doctoral research, she has been researching the increasing importance of appearance in contemporary society and its influence on body image and overall mental well-being among children and adolescents.

Steven Eggermont

Steven Eggermont, Ph.D., is dean at KU Leuven’s Faculty of Social Sciences and professor at the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research. He is interested in the relationship between media use patterns and developmental processes in the life span and the media’s effects on emotional, mental, and physical health in young people.

Laura Vandenbosch

Laura Vandenbosch is an assistant professor at the School for Mass Communication Research (BOF-ZAP research professorship grant). The relationship between media and well-being is the core subject of her research, leading to international publications in several fields, including developmental psychology, sexology, body image, social relationships, and communication theory.