Date of Award

2013

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Psychology

Keywords

Psychology, Body dissatisfaction, Body image, Body surveillance, Fat stereotypes, Weightbias

Supervisor

Jarry, Josee L.

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

This study examined the moderating effect of body surveillance on the relationship between fat stereotyping and body dissatisfaction in normal weight women. Undergraduate participants (N = 301) completed online measures assessing explicit and implicit fat stereotyping, body surveillance, and body dissatisfaction. Neither explicit nor implicit fat stereotyping significantly predicted body dissatisfaction. Further, body surveillance did not moderate the relationship between either explicit or implicit fat stereotypes and body dissatisfaction. However, post-hoc analyses examining Caucasian participants (N = 224) found differing results. Specifically, body surveillance significantly moderated the relationship between explicit fat stereotyping and body dissatisfaction. Higher explicit fat stereotypes predicted greater body dissatisfaction in Caucasian women with lower body surveillance. Conversely, higher explicit fat stereotypes predicted lower body dissatisfaction in Caucasian women with higher body surveillance. These counterintuitive results suggest that endorsing fat stereotypes acts as a buffer against body dissatisfaction in Caucasian normal weight women with stronger body surveillance.

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