Does size matter? The impact of ultra-thin media models on women’s body image and on advertising effectiveness

The “body perfect” ideal for women is ultra-thin, with media models typically underweight. Advertisers defend the continued use of this unhealthy and unachievable ideal with the argument that “thinness sells”. Our exposure experiments show that:

• Ultra-thin media models make many women feel bad about their own body, whereas models with a healthy, average body weight do not.