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The UCLA Body Project I: Gender and Ethnic Differences in Self-Objectification and Body Satisfaction Among 2,206 Undergraduates

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Abstract

This study examined whether objectification theory is useful for understanding gender, body mass, and ethnic differences in body satisfaction among 2,206 US undergraduates who completed a body image survey. Women reported lower body satisfaction than men (d = .37) and this was true across the majority of the BMI continuum. Very slender men, however, were less satisfied than very slender women who approached the female thin-ideal. Differences in body satisfaction among White, Asian, and Hispanic participants were small to moderate (ds = .18 to .45). Consistent with the prediction that self-objectification has particularly negative effects on women who deviate from the slender White ideal, the association between body dissatisfaction and appearance surveillance was strongest for heavier and minority women.

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Notes

  1. In a three-way between subjects ANOVA, the interaction of ethnicity × sex × BMI was not significant F(17, 1805) = 1.48, p > .05. The interaction of ethnicity × BMI was also not significant F(18, 1805) = 1.51, p > .05. Therefore, we examined only the global gender differences in body satisfaction and the interactions of gender with BMI and ethnicity.

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Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to the UCLA Graduate Division, the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, and the Departments of Psychology and Communication Studies for providing financial support to the first author. We are also grateful for support from the UCLA Institute of American Cultures, who provided a research grant for this project to the first author. We would like to thank Eric Kroskrity, Misoo Lee, Andrea Niles, Taylor Rhoades, and Leila Sadeghi-Azar for their assistance with this project and manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of California, 3rd Floor Mailroom, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1563, USA

    David A. Frederick, Kristina E. Grigorian & Johanna M. Jarcho

  2. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Millikin University, Decatur, IL, USA

    Gordon B. Forbes

  3. FPR-UCLA Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    David A. Frederick

  4. UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    David A. Frederick

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  1. David A. Frederick
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  2. Gordon B. Forbes
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  3. Kristina E. Grigorian
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  4. Johanna M. Jarcho
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Correspondence to David A. Frederick.

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Frederick, D.A., Forbes, G.B., Grigorian, K.E. et al. The UCLA Body Project I: Gender and Ethnic Differences in Self-Objectification and Body Satisfaction Among 2,206 Undergraduates. Sex Roles 57, 317–327 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9251-z

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