Abstract
The purpose of this study was to establish whether preconceived body images influence quantitative perceptions of body shape. 59 healthy female subjects were subdivided into four groups by amount of activity and body mass index. The body shape of the same person, dressed differently to appear like a model, a student, and a cook, was classified by reference to an adiposity scale based on line drawings. A significant difference was shown between the representations of the types of occupation with the model viewed consistently as the slimmest and the cook as the fattest. The obese women classified all three occupational groups as slimmer than the nonobese, and the active groups as slimmer than the inactive. The implications of this work relate to a better understanding of body-image distortion, to treatment for eating disorders, and a recognition that people retain preconceived perceptions developed on the basis of experience.
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