Abstract
Inspired by the earlier work of Rozin and Fallon (1988), this study investigated some potential determinants of the most recent increase of eating disorders among women in this country. Measures of current, preferred attractive, and acceptable body images for opposite- and same-gender figures, in addition to the thinnest and heaviest figures the subjects found attractive, were obtained from the same generation cohort as these students' parents. While gender differences were found, so were cohort differences. These cohort differences speak to factors relevant to understanding why there has been such an increase in the frequency of eating disorders in Western culture since the late 1960s, especially among adolescent women. Possible implications for treatment of eating disorders are discussed. However, the authors note that further studies are needed to determine if the cohort differences found might reflect a developmental or a definite cohort effect.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Reference
Bennett, W., & Gurin, J. (1982). The dieter's dilemma. New York: Basic Books.
Bruch, H. (1973). Eating disorders: Obesity and anorexia nervosa. New York: Basic Books.
Cash, T. F., & Pruzinsky, T. (1990). In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body images: Development, deviance and change (pp. 87–88). New York: Guilford Press.
Cohn, L. D., Adler, N. E., Irwin, Jr., C. E., Millstein, S. G., Kegeles, S. M., & Stone, G. (1987). Body-figure preferences in male and female adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 276–279.
Crisp, A. H., Palmer, R. L., & Kalucy, R. S. (1976). How common is anorexia nervosa? A prevalence study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 549–54.
Duddle, M. (1973). An increase in anorexia in a university population. British Journal of Psychiatry, 12, 211–212.
Dwyer, J. T., Feldman, J. J., Seltzer, C. C., & Mayer, J. (1969a). Body image in adolescence: Attitudes toward weight and perception of appearance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 20, 1045–1056.
Dwyer, J. T., Feldman, J. J., Seltzer, C. C., & Mayer, J. (1969b). Adolescent attitudes toward weight and appearance. Journal of Nutrition Education, 1, 14–19.
Fallon, A. E., & Rozin, P. (1985). Sex differences in perceptions of desired body shape. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 94, 102–105.
Freedman, R. (1986). Beauty bound. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Garfinkel, P. E., & Garner, D. M. (1982). Anorexia nervosa: A multidimensional perspective. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Schwartz, D., & Thompson, M. (1980). Cultural expectations of thinness in women. Psychological Reports, 47, 483–491.
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Rockert, W., & Olmsted, M. D. (1987). A prospective study of eating disorders in ballet. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 48, 170–175.
Goodman, S., Blinder, B. J., Chaitin, B. F., & Hagman, J. (1988). Atypical eating disorder in blinder. In B. J. Blinder, B. F. Chaitin, & R. S. Goldstein (Eds.), The eating disorders: Medical and psychological bases of diagnosis and treatment. New York: PMA Publishing Company.
Gordon, R. A. (1988). A sociocultural interpretation of the current epidemic of eating disorders. In B. J. Binder, B. F. Chaitin, & R. S. Goldstein (Eds.), The eating disorders: Medical and psychological bases of diagnosis and treatment. New York: PMA Publishing Company.
Gross, J., & Rosen, J. C. (1988). Bulimia in adolescents: Prevalence and psychosocial correlates. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 7, 51–61.
Halmi, K. A. (1974). Comparison of demographic and clinical features in patient groups with different ages and weights at onset of anorexia nervosa. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 158, 222–225.
Halmi, K. A., Falk, J. R., & Schwartz, E. (1981). Binge-eating and vomiting: A survey of a college population. Psychological Medicine, 11, 697–706.
Herzog, D. (1982). Bulimia: The secretive syndrome. Psychosomatic, 23, 481–489.
Hsu, K. L. G. (1988). Classification and diagnosis of the eating disorders. In B. J. Blinder, B. F. Chaitin, & R. S. Goldstein (Eds.), The eating disorders: Medical and psychological basis of diagnosis and treatment. New York: PMA Publishing Company.
Johnson, C. L., Stuckey, M. K., Lewis, L. D., & Schwartz, E. (1982). Bulimic: A descriptive survey of 316 cases. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 3–16.
Jones, D. J., & Fox, H. M., Babigan, H. M., & Hutton, H. E. (1980). Epidemiology of anorexia nervosa in Monroe County, New York: 1960–1976. Psychosomatic Medicine, 42, 551–558.
Kiemble, G., Slade, P. D., & Dewey, M. E. (1987). Factors associated with abnormal eating attitudes and behaviors: Screening individuals at risk of development an eating disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorder, 6, 713–724.
Laver, J. (1963). Costume through the ages. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Leichner, P., & Gertler, A. (1988). Prevalence and incidence studies of anorexia nervosa. In B. J. Binder, B. F. Chaitin, & R. S. Goldstein (Eds.), The eating disorders: Medical and psychological basis of diagnosis and treatment. New York: PMA Publishing Company.
Polivy, J., & Herman, C. P. (1987). The anxiety model of bulimia nervosa and treatment with exposure plus response prevention. In K. M. Pirke, W. Vandereycken, & D. Ploog (Eds.), The psychobiology of bulimia nervosa. Berlin—New York: Springer-Verlag.
Pope, H., & Hudson, J. (1984a). Prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia among three student populations. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 3, 45–51.
Pope, H., & Hudson, J. (1984b). New hope for binge eaters. New York: Harper & Row.
Post, G., & Crowther, J. H. (1987). Retricter-purger differences in bulimic adolescent females. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 757–761.
Rosen, J. C., & Leitenberg, H. (1982). Bulimia nervosa: Treatment with exposure and response prevention. Behavioral Therapy, 13, 117–124.
Rozin, P., & Fallon, A. (1988). Body image, attitudes to weight, and misperceptions of figure preferences of the opposite sex: A comparison of men and women in two generations. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 342–345.
Ruderman, A. J., & Grace, P. S. (1988). Bulimics and restrained eaters: A personality comparison. Addictive Behaviors, 13, 359–367.
Russell, G. F. (1979). Bulimia nervosa: An ominous variant of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 429–448.
Schwartz, D. M., Thompson, M. G., & Johnson, C. L. (1982). Anorexia nervosa and bulimia: The socio-cultural context. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1, 20–36.
Striegel-Moore, R., McAvay, G., & Rodin, J. (1986). Psychological and behavioral correlates of feeling fat in women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 5, 935–947
Stunkard, A. J., Sorenson, T., & Schlusiner, F. (1980). Use of the Danish adoption register for the study of obesity and thinness. In S. Kety, L. P. Rowland, R. L. Sidman, & S. W. Matthysse (Eds.), The genetics of neurological and psychiatric disorders. New York: Raven Press.
Szmukler, G., & McCance, C., McCrone, L., & Hunter, D. (1986). Anorexia nervosa: A psychiatric case register study from Aberdeen. Psychological Medicine, 16, 49–58.
Vandereycken, W. (1988). Anorexia in adults. In B. J. Binder, B. F. Chaitin, & R. S. Goldstein (Eds.), The eating disorders; Medical and psychological basis of diagnosis and treatment. New York: PMA Publishing Company.
Vanderlinden, J., Norre, J., & Vandereycken, W. (1992). A practical guide to the treatment of bulimia nervosa. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Zakin, D. F. (1989). Eating disturbance, emotional separation, and body image. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 411–416.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sue Lamb, C., Jackson, L.A., Cassiday, P.B. et al. Body figure preferences of men and women: A comparison of two generations. Sex Roles 28, 345–358 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289890
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289890