Strong is the New Skinny, but is it Ideal?: A Test of the Tripartite Influence Model using a new Measure of Fit-Ideal Internalisation
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Uhlmann, Laura R
Loxton, Natalie J
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Abstract
Although the thin body ideal has been the epitome of western female beauty for decades, the more recent fit body ideal is becoming arguably more popular. This study aimed to test two versions of the tripartite influence model (TIM; Thompson, Heinberg, Altabe, & Tantleff-Dunn, 1999): one that included thin-ideal internalisation, and one that included fit-ideal internalisation, using path analysis. Participants were 558 Australian women aged 16-50 years (M = 22.06, SD = 7.41). All of the hypothesised paths were significant for both the thin- and fit-ideal internalisation models. The final models for both thin- and fit-ideal internalisation included extra, non-hypothesised paths from media to body dissatisfaction, and from social comparison to dieting, bulimic symptoms, and compulsive exercise. The two models differed in that the final model for thin-ideal internalisation included direct paths from thin-ideal internalisation to dieting and bulimic symptoms. The final model for fit-ideal internalisation, however, included a direct path from fit-ideal internalisation to compulsive exercise. It was concluded that, in contrast to the widely held perception that the fit ideal is a ‘healthier’ alternative to the thin ideal, fit ideal internalisation may be detrimental to female body satisfaction, disordered eating, and compulsive exercise.
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Body Image
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35
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© 2020 Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, providing that the work is properly cited.
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Social psychology
Public health
Sociology
Social and personality psychology
Social Sciences
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Psychology, Clinical
Psychiatry
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Donovan, CL; Uhlmann, LR; Loxton, NJ, Strong is the New Skinny, but is it Ideal?: A Test of the Tripartite Influence Model using a new Measure of Fit-Ideal Internalisation, Body Image, 2020, 35, pp. 171-180