Looking Good and Making It Seem Easy

Abstract

Unhealthy weight control behaviors are a significant health concern among adolescents and emerging adults, and perfectionism plays a role in the development/maintenance of these behaviors. Effortless perfectionism, or pressure to be perfect with apparent ease, is linked to maladjustment, but its role in weight control behaviors is unexplored. Longitudinal data on effortless perfectionism, body image, body mass index (BMI), and weight control behaviors were collected in college-aged females ( N = 376, mean age = 18.48, 66% Caucasian). After controlling for BMI and trait-based perfectionism, effortless perfectionism uniquely predicted weight control behaviors. Higher levels of effortless perfectionism also predicted more weight control behaviors, but only for individuals with poor body image and specifically for those who also reported lower BMI. Pressure to be perfect with apparent ease confers unique risk for unhealthy weight control behaviors among adolescents and emerging adults with low body image and BMI. Findings highlight the importance of developing interventions that target effortless perfectionism to improve health and functioning during the transition to adulthood.