Social likeability, conformity, and body talk: Does fat talk have a normative rival in female body image conversations?

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Doris Bazzini Ph.D, Professor (Creator)
Denise M. Martz Ph.D., Professor and Assistant Chair (Creator)
Courtney Rocheleau Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: Fat talk, dialogues among women involving negative body-focused discussions, was studied as a function of conformity and social likeability through the use of four vignettes depicting young women in conversation. Using a 2 (body presentation style of the group: negative or positive) × 2 (body presentation style of the target, Jenny: negative or positive) factorial design, 215 college women (92.1% non-Hispanic Caucasian) read one of four vignettes in a classroom setting and made ratings on a social likeability scale. Participants’ personal ratings of Jenny's likeability were higher when she spoke positively about her body, whereas they expected the other group members in the vignette to like Jenny more when she conformed to the group's body presentation style. This study is the first to support two competing norms for women's body image—the existing norm to fat talk versus a newly documented norm that some women like others who express body acceptance.

Additional Information

Publication
Tompkins K.B., Martz D.M., Rocheleau C.A., Bazzini D.G. (2009) Social likeability, conformity, and body talk: Does fat talk have a normative rival in female body image conversations? Body Image: An International Journal of Research. 6 (4), pp. 292-298. Elsevier (ISSN: 1740-1445) doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2009.07.005 - September 2009
Language: English
Date: 2009
Keywords
Fat talk, Conformity, Body talk, Self-acceptance

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