ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters have summarized existing work on men’s and women’s body image, and have painted a picture of body image in the average Western man or woman. From what we know about the impact of the effects of membership of particular cultural groups (gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality, and age), being white and being heterosexual are likely to predict body dissatisfaction in women. Age or social class are unlikely to have a significant impact, although there is some evidence that women over 60 may become more satisfied with the look of their bodies and focus more on body function and health. Men are likely to be more satisfied in general, and younger, heterosexual men may be expected to be most satisfied. The average woman could be expected to have dieted to try to lose weight, and the average man is probably not highly motivated to diet or exercise even if he perceives a mismatch between his current body and his ideal body image. If he does change his behavior, he will probably exercise. Women are likely to feel dissatisfaction with hips, thighs, “stomachs,” and breasts; men are more likely to be dissatisfied with “stomachs” and muscularity. Most women want to lose weight, whereas men are equally likely to want to be heavier or lighter, and are most likely to want to be more muscular.
