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Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Publication Date
Spring 2024
Contributor
Pierucci, Jillian (Faculty Mentor)
Keywords
Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Image, Women, Mental Health, Fitness
Description
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric illness characterized by distress and excessive preoccupation with perceived defects in physical appearance that are not at all, or only slightly, observable to others (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). BDD can be found in many individuals; among these individuals are women in the fitness industry. This is due to the idea that there is an “ideal” body image portrayed by fitness industries that provoke women to compare themselves. This study examined a variety of fitness websites consisting of fitness apparel websites and fitness websites, where the models used in each website were examined for body characteristics such as petite, medium, and plus sized body types, as well as different muscle tones and clothing sizes. Results showed that fitness apparel websites use more petite models who wear smaller sizes, compared to plus size models who wear larger sizes. Fitness websites showed no significant difference between their muscular models and those used in fitness apparel websites. Overall, this study is important because it shows a possible connection of the negative effects that promoted body images in fitness websites have on women who suffer with BDD. Previous research states that engagement with the fitness industry is often considered appearance-related and can "induce self-objectification by creating an environment that promotes a focus on outward appearance and unrealistic physical body ideals" (Corazza et al. 2019). Further, this study highlights the standards in society of what the “perfect body” type is in women.
Format
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1 page
City
San Antonio, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Gender and Sexuality Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons