Styling the Self: Clothing Practices, Personality Traits, and Body Image Among Israeli Women

Research has shown that women tend to use clothes to present or disguise their bodies and that clothing practices can be predicted by body image. This study explored the relationships between clothing practices, personality traits, and body image among Israeli women, using the Big Five personality traits model (NEO-FFI) and a body image measure (MBSRQ) to explore clothing styles and practices among Israeli women (N = 792, Mean age = 42.19). It found that women with are more openness to experience (OR = 1.8; IC 95%: 1.05–3.0), who seek fashion (OR = 2.05; IC 95%: 1.37–3.05) and individuality (OR = 3.96; IC 95%: 2.46–6.3) are more likely to exhibit a urban, sophisticated style of dress. These women are less motivated by comfort (OR = 0.49; IC 95%: 0.31–0.77) and camouflage (OR = 2.05; IC 95%: 1.37–3.05), that are associated with casual, minimalist style of dress. This study indicates that openness to experience may foster body-positive clothing practices. In this way, their choice of clothing can help women overcome objectification and cultural body-ideal pressures, promoting self-validation and mastery.

Propiedades psicométricas del Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) en una muestra de hombres y mujeres jóvenes chilenos

Drive for muscularity, although it mainly occurs in men, is also experienced by women. It is important to have instruments to measure this construct, which is the reason why the aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) in Chilean adolescents and young adults (n = 602). The DMS and the SATAQ-4 were administered. The confirmatory factor analysis showed two factors, one representing attitudes and the other behaviors, in addition to a second-order factor. This structure had a good fit for both sexes, although for women it was necessary to remove two items. Regarding sex, men showed higher scores and, with respect to age, adolescents manifested greater drive for muscularity. For both sexes a positive correlation between the DMS and the athletic/body ideal internalization scale was observed. These results confirm that the Chilean version of the DMS has adequate psychometric properties.

Barre Matters: Hybrid Formations of Ballet and Group Fitness

Employing a variety of theoretical approaches, feminist researchers have critiqued the fitness industry of its singular emphasis on the impossible, narrowly defined feminine body ideal that is likely to cause more mental (e.g., body dissatisfaction) and physical ill health (eating disorders, injuries) than improve fitness. With the focus on social construction of gendered identities, there has been less problematisation of the materiality of the fitness practices and their impact on the cultural production of the moving body. In this article, I adopt a Latourian approach to seek for a more complete account of the body in motion and how it matters in the contemporary world. A barre class as a popular group exercise class that combines ballet and exercise modalities offers a location for such an examination due to the centrality of a non-human object, the barre, that distinguishes it from other group exercise classes. I consider how exercise practices may be constituted in relation to a material object, the barre, and how the physical and material intersect, historically, with the cultural politics of fitness and dance from where the barre originates. To do this, I trace the journey of the barre from ballet training to the fitness industry to illustrate how human and non-human associations create a hybrid collective.

Body Image During Quarantine; Generational Effects of Social Media Pressure on Body Appearance Perception

One of the consequences of the pandemic is that throughout 2020 virtual interactions largely replaced face-to-face interactions. Though there are few studies of how social media impacts body image perception across genders, research suggests that socializing through a virtual self-body image might have distinct implications for men and women. In an online study, we examined whether type of social pressure and body-ideal exert distinct pressures on members of the X, Y, and Z generations. Results showed media pressure affected body image satisfaction significantly more than other kinds of social pressure across genders and generations, with young males reporting a higher impact compared to older males. Males experienced more pressure to be muscular and women to be thin, especially for the younger generation. Future research should focus on social media as a potential intervention tool for the detection and prevention of body image disorders in both young female and male adults.

Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity – Female Bodies

Background Despite evidence that thinness and muscularity are part of the female body ideal, there is not yet a reliable figure rating scale measuring the body image of women which includes both of these dimensions. To overcome this shortcoming, the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity - Female Bodies (BIMTM-FB) was developed. Methods The objective of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of this measure. N = 607 non-clinical women and N = 32 women with eating disorders answered the BIMTM-FB as well as instruments assessing eating disorder symptoms and body image disturbance in order to test the convergent validity of the BIMTM-FB. To assess test-retest reliability, a two-week interval was determined. Results The results indicated that the body-fat dimension of the BIMTM-FB correlates significantly with the Contour Drawing Rating-Scale, the Drive for Leanness Scale (DLS) and the Body Appreciation Scale, while the muscularity dimension of the BIMTM-FB was significantly associated with the DLS and the Drive for Muscularity Scale, proving the convergent validity of the BIMTM-FB. High coefficients of test-retest reliability were found. Moreover, the BIMTM-FB differentiated between the clinical sample and the non-clinical controls. Conclusions The BIMTM-FB is a figure rating scale assessing both thinness and muscularity as part of the female body ideal. Due to its high reliability and validity, the BIMTM-FB can be recommended in research and practice.

Drive for Muscularity in Lithuanian Male Students: Psychometrics and Associated Characteristics

Background. The drive for muscularity in men is associated with a negative body image, psychosocial, and physiological outcomes. The aim of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the Lithuanian version of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS-LT) and associated characteristics in the sample of young adults (men).Methods. The sample consisted of 763 male students. The ages ranged from 18 to 32 years, with a mean age of 20.4 (SD = 3.1). Participants completed the Lithuanian translation of DMS-LT alongside with the measures of disordered eating, sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire, body mass index, self-esteem, and participation in sports.Results. The instrument showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .92) and test-retest reliability (ICC = .87). The two-dimensional factor structure of the proposed original scale was not confirmed. DMS-LT was negatively correlated with self-esteem. Positive associations were observed between DMS-LT, muscular/athletic body ideal internalization, and disordered eating. Drive for muscularity attitudes and behaviors were more expressed in male students attending sports clubs.Conclusions. The results of the present study support the psychometric properties of the DMS-LT and its’ use in Lithuanian samples of young men. The instrument might also be used in clinical practice. It is important to develop prevention programs that decrease body image concerns and prevent disordered eating in young men. Keywords: drive for muscularity, body image, psychometric properties of the scale, students.