Everyone Else Is Doing It (I Think): The Power Of Perception And Society In Fat Talk

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Courtney Bramblett Rogers (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
Advisor
Denise Martz

Abstract: Fat talk (FT) involves critiquing one’s own appearance in social conversations and has been associated with negative outcomes such as higher body dissatisfaction, increased depression, and a greater perceived sociocultural pressure to be thin. Although parents, peers, and media have all been established as distinct sociocultural influences on body image and eating behaviors, there has been minimal exploration of the influence of family, friends, and media in extant FT literature. This study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the relationships between an individual’s FT, internalization of thin ideal, and the self-reported and perceived influence of her mother and closest friend’s FT. A sample of 233 undergraduate, primarily Caucasian female students, their mothers, and their friends completed a set of online self-report surveys assessing FT behavior and other related variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the predictive power of internalization of the thin ideal, mothers’ and friends’ self-reported FT, and mothers’ and friends’ perceived FT on participants’ FT behavior. Analyses showed that internalization of the thin ideal, body mass index, perception of mother’s FT, and perception of friend’s FT were significant predictors of participant FT.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Rogers, C. (2016). Everyone Else Is Doing It (I Think): The Power Of Perception And Society In Fat Talk. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
Language: English
Date: 2016
Keywords
Fat talk, Sociocultural influences, Perception

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