ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters have summarized existing work on men’s and women’s body image. From what we know about the impact of the effects of membership of particular subcultural 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 on satisfaction, though there is some evidence that women over 60 years may be less invested in appearance and more in body function and health than younger women. Men in their middle years may be more dissatisfied with their body size than younger men, and heterosexual men may be more satisfied than gay men. Men are likely to be more satisfied than women in general, though this pattern may reverse over 80 years of age. 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 behaviour, he will probably exercise. Women are likely to want a slim “hourglass” shape, whereas men are likely to want an inverted triangle shape with broad shoulders and chest. Most women want to lose some weight, whereas men are equally likely to want to be heavier or lighter, and are likely to want to be more muscular at all ages.
