Changes in The Prevalence Of Thin Bodies Biases Young Womens’ Judgements about Body Size
Body dissatisfaction is pervasive among young women in Western countries. Among the many forces that contribute to body dissatisfaction, the overrepresentation of thin bodies in visual media has received notable attention. In this study, we propose that prevalence-induced concept change may be one of the cognitive mechanisms that explain how beauty standards shift. We conducted a pre-registered online experiment with young women (N = 419) and found that when the prevalence of thin bodies in the environment increased, the concept of overweight expanded to include bodies that would otherwise be judged as normal. Exploratory analyses revealed significant individual differences in sensitivity to this effect, both in terms of women’s judgements about other bodies and their own. These results suggest that women’s judgements about other women’s bodies are biased by an overrepresentation of thinness. Policies that aim to increase size-inclusive representation in the media may be one way to curtail this influence.