What do these Messages Really Mean? Sports Media Exposure, Sports Participation, and Body Image Distortion in Women Between the Ages of 18 and 75

Abstract

Thin-ideal media content is said to be one of the factors responsible for promoting distorted body image perceptions in young girls and college women. This study examined the relationship between sports media exposure during the Olympic Games, overall sports media exposure, and sports participation to body image attitudes in women between the ages of 18 and 75. Age was directly related to sports participation and sports exposure, and, more important, many older women were found to be as unhappy with their body shape as younger women. Both sports media exposure and sports participation were related to more positive body image attitudes; however, exposure and participation in lean sports were related to more negative attitudes in women.