Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Children. Discussion – Part 2
When examining results between genders with all grades combined, as mentioned, there were a large percentage of boys who expressed a desire toward a thinner body shape. However, the difference between the selection of current body figures and ideal body figures was greater and more obvious for the girls than was for the boys. The girls’ selection of their current body figure closely resembled a four on the pictorial scale. This figure selection was exactly in the middle of the scale, with three smaller body figures and three larger body figures. The girls selected a figure that was a full size smaller on the scale as ideal. The boys also selected the same current body figure, but their selection of an ideal figure was still close to the middle of the scale. What is causing this greater desire toward thinness among young females? Could it be that society promotes a thin, ideal body size for women? Fredrickson and Robertson (1997) refer to this as the “objectification theory,” in which cultural images objectify women as thin, sexy, and virtually flawless, which therefore put pressures on young girls to attain an ideal body size and shape. On the other hand, a cultural ideal of muscularity is emerging among males, which puts pressure on young boys to try to attain a muscular ideal. Perhaps future investigations should include questions as to why these children desire a thinner (or larger) body size. Furthermore, for the boys who selected a larger size it should be better defined as to what “larger” means to them.
Hendy, Gustitus, and Leitzel-Schwalm (2001) found that by the ages of six to eight, gender differences in attitudes about ideal body figures begin to appear. Girls are more likely to show more body dissatisfaction, more belief that thin is “likeable” and more desire to “be thinner.” This may be evidenced in the difference between the girls’ and boys’ selection of an ideal body figure for girls. The boys’ selection for the ideal body figure for girls was not as thin as what the girls selected as an ideal body size for their own gender, perhaps indicating that the boys have not yet developed the perception of the thin physique for girls or perhaps are not yet influenced by the cultural images of thinness. Girls’ selection of an ideal figure for the boys tended to hover around the middle figure selection, and this selection was slightly larger than what the boys deemed ideal for their own gender. Perhaps this is another indicator that girls may be starting to be influenced by the cultural messages of “bigness” for boys. Or perhaps, girls may be feeling pressure at a younger age from other outside influences, such as peers, their selection of role models, media influences, or early maturation. Or it may simply be a reflection of the greater societal emphasis on women’s rather than men’s bodies.