Cross-Cultural-Generational Perceptions of Ideal Body Image: Hispanic Women and Magazine Standards

Abstract

This study expands social comparison theory by examining magazine use along dimensions of gender, age, and ethnicity. Perceptions of magazines' idealized body image standards among two generations of Hispanic women were gathered using the focus group and telephone interview methods. Findings suggest that respondent groups aged 18–35 and those 36 and older both compare their body image to magazine standards, but behavioral effects vary. Two significant patterns are discussed: (1) assimilated magazine standards, and (2) dissonance in homogenization. This is the first study to explore cross-cultural-generational perceptions of mediated body image among Hispanic women using the stated research methods.