Abstract

Many studies have addressed the effects of the continuous presentation of ideal female beauty by the media and, especially, advertising. Multiple theories have attempted to identify the main mechanisms that cause the detrimental effects of exposure to such an idealized female image in advertising content. However, most such evidence has been correlational, whereas experimental evidence is very limited. Moreover, the impact of minimal exposure to such content has not yet been studied in detail. This experimental study investigates the short-term impact of reduced exposure (by viewing three beauty stereotype-related advertisements) on psychological well-being, body satisfaction, and the possible emergence of weight control behaviors in young women. The results reveal that even such brief exposure was sufficient to negatively influence the emotional well-being of the participants, who reported feeling more uncomfortable, insecure, anxious, and frustrated than women assigned to the control condition. The results of this experimental study thus reveal that advertising can influence the mood and behaviors of young women. In turn, they also reported greater intention to engage in weight and calorie control behaviors. Likewise, a mediation analysis revealed that the effect of such representations of female beauty on weight control behaviors was mediated by the decrease in the emotional well-being of the participants. The social and media implications of this work are discussed.