Evidence-based policy solutions to prevent eating disorders: Do disclaimer labels on fashion advertisements mitigate negative impact on adult women?

Exposure to media images portraying the thin ideal is associated with increased body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in women. Organizations and policymakers globally have proposed polices requiring warning or disclaimer labels on altered images. Research examining efficacy of disclaimer labels is growing but has largely overlooked adult women. This study extends current research by exploring novel disclaimer labels in a sample of adult women. Women (N = 872) recruited via Amazon's MTurk were randomly assigned to view 20 fashion advertisements with one of five labels: 1) no label; 2) general-digital-alteration label; 3) health-warning label; 4) specific-weight label; or 5) facial features/cosmetic label. Results revealed a significant increase in body dissatisfaction after advertisement exposure, irrespective of label group. Women who viewed advertisements with labels and recalled the labels reported lower body satisfaction and intention to purchase products compared to those who viewed advertisements with no label. Age appears to play an important role in how disclaimer labels affect women. Younger women of color appear to be more negatively impacted by the facial features/cosmetic label than older women of color. Findings are consistent with previous studies indicating no protective effect of disclaimer labels suggesting the need for more effective preventive strategies.

Beauty ideals, social media, and body positivity: A qualitative investigation of influences on body image among young women in Japan

Body image and eating concerns are prevalent among Japanese young women and result in part from exposure to unrealistic media imagery. In Western contexts, a growing body of research has explored the impact of social media on body image and eating disorder risk, and the potential for body positive media to mitigate these harmful effects. However, similar research in Japan is lacking. The aim of the present study was to qualitatively explore media and social media influences on body image and associated behaviors among young women in Japan, with a specific focus on body positive media content. Female university students in Japan (n = 29) participated in majority group and some individual interviews. Thematic analysis revealed four primary themes: (1) media appearance pressures: additive pressures of Japanese and Western ideals through globalization, (2) criticism of, resistance to, and negotiating appearance ideals, and (3) presence of body positivity in Japan, and (4) media as a background for interpersonal appearance pressures. High pressure towards thinness emerged, perceived as contributing to weight control behaviors that were calibrated to avoid being "unhealthy." Desire for greater body diversity in Japanese media emerged; however, findings suggest body positive messaging is scarce and mainly limited to high-profile celebrities.

Real beauty: Effects of a body-positive video on body image and capacity to mitigate exposure to social media images

OBJECTIVE

Recent industry-created social marketing campaigns have targeted positive body image; however, research investigating the effects of such social media campaigns on body image has largely neglected non-Western English-speaking groups. This study explored the effects on body image of a video produced by Dove for a Japanese audience 'Real Beauty ID', and its capacity to modify the effects of subsequent exposure to celebrity social media images of young women.

METHOD

Young women from Japan (n = 568), mean age (SD) = 25.38 (3.52) years, were randomly allocated to view either the Dove Real Beauty ID video, or a control video, followed by exposure to celebrity social media images (female celebrities or landscapes). Finally, participants reported on state and trait appearance-based comparisons, thin ideal internalization, body appreciation, and media similarity scepticism.

RESULTS

Among participants with high levels of thin ideal internalization, those who viewed the Dove Real Beauty ID video reported significantly lower satisfaction with body and facial features, as well as more negative mood (p < .05) compared with the control video. Little support emerged for the capacity of the Dove Real Beauty ID video to modify the effects of exposure to celebrity social media images, nor were these effects moderated by risk and resilience factors.

CONCLUSIONS

In sum, no usefulness emerged for the Dove Real Beauty ID video in promoting positive body image, and limited usefulness was seen in buffering the effects of exposure to celebrity social media images among Japanese young women. Given the reach of such interventions, exploring whether interventions that are culturally adapted and theoretically driven are more helpful is warranted.

The effectiveness of brief animated films as a scalable micro-intervention to improve children's body image: A randomised controlled trial

Creating media to counteract the plethora of media and advertising that perpetuates negative body image is a scalable public health strategy that can be achieved through innovative micro-interventions. This study examined the immediate and short-term (one-week follow-up) impact of viewing brief, evidence-informed animated films on young people's body image, media literacy, and self-efficacy in addressing appearance teasing. The animations were co-created through a partnership among academics, a personal care brand's social mission, and a children's television channel. Participants aged 7-14 (N = 1329, 49 % girls) were randomised into one of three viewing conditions: Appearance Teasing & Bullying, Media & Celebrities, or a non-appearance-related animation. Contrary to predictions, all three animations were comparably effective at eliciting intervention effects. For girls and boys aged 7-10, all three animations immediately improved state body satisfaction (+boys aged 11-14; Cohen's ds = .60-.71) and led to sustained improvements in trait media literacy (+girls aged 11-14; ds = .38-.61), sensitivity to appearance teasing (+boys aged 11-14; ds = .35-.48), and willingness to ignore appearance teasing (7-10 years only; ds = .34-.74) at one-week follow-up. Findings indicate that children's media is an effective medium for developing micro-interventions.

Labels to prevent the detrimental effects of media on body image: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Most advertisements contain thin-ideal imagery enhanced by digital modification. The deleterious effects on body image and eating disorder risk of exposure to such images have been well documented. One of the proposed macro-level solutions to mitigate these effects has been the use of labels on images, primarily disclaimer labels. A growing number of studies have explored the usefulness of such labels in protecting body image against the detrimental effects of media exposure; however, findings have been divergent.

METHODS

The current study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing literature investigating the effects of including labels on media images on body image.

RESULTS

The systematic review identified n = 22 studies that were included in a narrative review, n = 18 were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, findings provided little support for the use of disclaimer or warning labels as a means of protecting against the detrimental effects of media exposure on body image. Furthermore, findings suggested that such labels might increase state appearance comparison when exposed to media images.

DISCUSSION

These findings are especially concerning in light of recent legislative efforts to mitigate media effects through the use of labels on imagery, as well as industry initiatives based on image labeling. Additional research examining alternative strategies for universal prevention of body image and eating concerns is warranted.

(Don't) look here!: The effect of different forms of label added to fashion advertisements on women's visual attention

The present study used eye tracking technology to experimentally investigate the effect of different label formats on women's visual attention to fashion magazine advertisements, and its relationship with body dissatisfaction and appearance comparison. Participants were 260 female undergraduate students whose eye movements were recorded while viewing three thin-ideal fashion advertisements with one of five different forms of label added: no label, disclaimer label (indicating image had been digitally altered), consequence label (indicating that viewing images might make women feel bad about themselves), informational label (indicating the model in the advertisement was underweight), or graphic label (picture of a paint brush). The informational label was found to direct visual attention specifically towards the model's body. Visual attention to the body was related to state appearance comparison in general, and to increase in body dissatisfaction in the no label condition. These findings extend the existing body of research demonstrating potentially detrimental effects of labels attached to fashion magazine images.

Effect of digital alteration information and disclaimer labels attached to fashion magazine advertisements on women's body dissatisfaction

The present study aimed to investigate whether the provision of prior information about digital alteration would enhance the effectiveness of disclaimer labels attached to fashion images in protecting against body dissatisfaction. Participants were 363 female undergraduate students who viewed fashion magazine advertisements with either no label or a digital alteration disclaimer label. Prior to viewing the advertisements, participants read one of three news stories containing digital alteration information that focused on either the unrealistic nature of the images or on social comparison, or a control news story (on magazine circulation figures). Irrespective of the preceding information, disclaimer labels offered no benefit for body satisfaction. However, reading the news articles containing information about digital alteration led to higher levels of body dissatisfaction than reading the control article. It was concluded that information in the form of news stories or disclaimer labels cannot be assumed to be useful or to offer positive benefit. Accordingly, more extensive and thorough evaluation is required and policy makers might better direct their attention to other forms of cost-effective universal intervention.

Automatic social comparison: Cognitive load facilitates an increase in negative thought accessibility after thin ideal exposure among women

Women are routinely exposed to images of extremely slim female bodies (the thin ideal) in advertisements, even if they do not necessarily pay much attention to these images. We hypothesized that paradoxically, it is precisely in such conditions of low attention that the impact of the social comparison with the thin ideal might be the most pronounced. To test this prediction, one hundred and seventy-three young female participants were exposed to images of the thin ideal or of women’s fashion accessories. They were allocated to either a condition of high (memorizing 10 digits) or low cognitive load (memorizing 4 digits). The main dependent measure was implicit: mean recognition latency of negative words, relative to neutral words, as assessed by a lexical decision task. The results showed that thin-ideal exposure did not affect negative word accessibility under low cognitive load but that it increased it under high cognitive load. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that social comparison with the thin ideal is an automatic process, and contribute to explain why some strategies to prevent negative effects of thin-ideal exposure are inefficient.

This girl can #jointhemovement: Effectiveness of physical functionality-focused campaigns for women's body satisfaction and exercise intent

We tested the effectiveness of exposure to two functionality-focused media campaigns, This Girl Can and #jointhemovement, in improving state appearance and physical functionality satisfaction, exercise intent, and protecting against exposure to idealised imagery. Across two studies, 339 (M_age=24.94, SD=4.98) and 256 (M_age=26.46, SD=5.50) women viewed the campaign or control video, followed by images of models who were posed or physically active, or images of landscapes. State satisfaction and exercise intent was measured at pre-test, post-video, post-images, and 1-week follow-up. Social comparison was measured at post-images. Viewing either campaign produced higher appearance satisfaction and exercise intentions than the control video. Effects weren't maintained after viewing idealised imagery or 1 week later. Further, the campaigns did not decrease social comparisons when viewing idealised imagery. Results can inform agencies about campaign effectiveness and suggest that women benefit from campaigns that feature non-idealised depictions of women exercising.