The Thin-Ideal Across Two Cultural Contexts: The Role of Body Image Inflexibility and the Fear of Negative Evaluation

It is well established that the thin-ideal standard of female beauty adversely influences body satisfaction among women in Western societies, yet comparatively little attention has been given to this effect across different cultural contexts. The present study investigated the impact of exposure to the thin-ideal on women in Turkey and the UK, and whether body image inflexibility (BII) or fear of negative evaluation (FNE) may contribute to any cross-cultural differences. Participants (N = 262) completed scales of body dissatisfaction, BII, and FNE before being randomly assigned to view either thin-ideal images or neutral images, after which they completed the body dissatisfaction scale again. Results indicated that participants from the UK experienced greater increases in body dissatisfaction when exposed to the thin-ideal relative to those from Turkey, and that, across cultures, those who were more negatively affected by the thin-ideal scored higher on BII and FNE. Results are discussed in terms of the psychosocial factors that may underpin such cross-cultural differences. Public Policy Relevance StatementExposure to the thin-ideal standard of female beauty, which is prevalent in the media, increases women's body dissatisfaction across cultures. This article found that BII, more so than FNE, is an important driver of this effect. Public health strategies promoting psychological flexibility may thus reduce vulnerability to the damaging impact of viewing idealized beauty images in the media.