Abstract
The female breast is a symbol of femininity and plays a key role in the female body image. However, factors influencing the preferences for different breast shapes and sizes are still not elucidated. In particular, the role of the emerging social media in breast perception has not been analyzed yet. A representative cohort of 1,049 adults completed a web-based questionnaire containing hyperrealistic 3D models of the female breast in the United States. A machine-learning algorithm (Classification and Regression Tree [CART]) was implemented to identify the most influential factors. The study was able to identify the frequency of pornographic and social media consumption as the most influencing factor for altered breast preferences. Although digital media exposure did not alter satisfaction with the own breast among female participants, the tendency to undergo or history of conducted aesthetic surgery correlated with higher access frequency to digital media. Taken together, the overpowering impact of social media and pornographic consumption on the own body image was shown in preference alterations for different anatomical aspects of the breast in the whole population and distorted self-perception about the breast in female participants.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
