Emma Halliwell | University of the West of England (original) (raw)

Papers by Emma Halliwell

European Eating Disorders Review, 2009

Objective: The present study aimed to integrate attachment theory and sociocultural theory as pre... more Objective: The present study aimed to integrate attachment theory and sociocultural theory as predictors of disordered eating, thereby combining two previously distinct literatures in order to provide a more comprehensive model of eating disorder development. It was specifically proposed that women's attachment style may influence their tendency to socially compare themselves to idealised others.Method: Participants (N = 213) were non-clinical female undergraduates. Sociocultural attitudes to appearance, social comparison, attachment and eating disorder symptomatology were assessed using self-report questionnaires.Results: Consistent with the hypothesis, social comparison was found to mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and disordered eating. In addition, attachment avoidance, was not significantly associated with either internalisation of cultural ideals or social comparison but was significantly related to eating psychopathology.Conclusion: The findings suggest that attachment anxiety and avoidance influence disordered eating via different pathways, with attachment anxiety specifically being implicated in sociocultural models of disordered eating. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Feminism & Psychology, 2011

Sex Roles, 2003

In-depth interviews were conducted with 42 women and men (aged 22–62 years) to explore their rela... more In-depth interviews were conducted with 42 women and men (aged 22–62 years) to explore their relationships with their bodies. The particular focus was age-related changes in body image and attitudes toward the body aging, an area that has received little research attention to date. Thematic analysis revealed distinctive gender differences. Men commonly conceptualized their bodies as a holistic entity, whereas women commonly had compartmentalized conceptualizations. They also construed the importance of their bodies differently: men tended to focus on functionality, and women tended to focus on display. These findings may help to explain gendered consequences of body dissatisfaction. Accounts about the aging of the body support a “double standard of aging.” Women viewed aging most negatively in terms of its impact on appearance, whereas men reported a neutral or even positive impact on appearance.

Developmental Psychology, 2006

The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined in the present study as a possible cause for young girls'... more The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined in the present study as a possible cause for young girls' body dissatisfaction. A total of 162 girls, from age 5 to age 8, were exposed to images of either Barbie dolls, Emme dolls (U.S. size 16), or no dolls (baseline control) and then completed assessments of body image. Girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape than girls in the other exposure conditions. However, this immediate negative impact of Barbie doll was no longer evident in the oldest girls. These findings imply that, even if dolls cease to function as aspirational role models for older girls, early exposure to dolls epitomizing an unrealistically thin body ideal may damage girls' body image, which would contribute to an increased risk of disordered eating and weight cycling.

Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 2005

Previous research demonstrates that exposure to ultra-thin media models leads to increased body i... more Previous research demonstrates that exposure to ultra-thin media models leads to increased body image concerns amongst women (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002). There is emerging evidence that attractive, average-size models do not have this negative effect and can be effective in advertising (e.g. Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004). The present study investigates these factors amongst women with a history of eating disorders. Participants either viewed advertisements featuring ultra-thin, average-size or control images. Immediately after exposure, they reported their body-focused anxiety and rated the effectiveness of the advertisements. Whereas exposure to ultra-thin models did not lead to increased body-focused anxiety, exposure to average-size models produced a relief effect, whereby women reported lower levels of body-focused anxiety. Advertisements featuring ultra-thin and average-size models were equally effective. The results suggest that average-size, attractive models could be used effectively in advertising, which may help to relieve body image concerns amongst these women. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2004

An increasing number of studies shows that exposure to thin ideal bodies in the media has negativ... more An increasing number of studies shows that exposure to thin ideal bodies in the media has negative effects on young women's body images, at least in the short-term. However, this research has (a) consistently confounded the effects of thinness and attractiveness, and (b) not investigated the potential use of alternative images in advertising that do not decrease women's body esteem. This study examines the impact of three types of advertisements-featuring thin models, average-size models, or no models-on adult women's body-focused anxiety, and on advertising effectiveness. As expected, exposure to thin models resulted in greater body-focused anxiety among women who internalize the thin ideal than exposure to average-size models or no models. Yet, advertisements were equally effective, regardless of the model's size. This implies that advertisers can successfully use larger, but attractive, models and perhaps avoid increasing body-focused anxiety in a large proportion of women.

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2006

This study examines the associations between appearancerelated, actual-ideal self-discrepancies-f... more This study examines the associations between appearancerelated, actual-ideal self-discrepancies-from both own and romantic partner's standpoints-and negative affect, body satisfaction, and eating behavior. It extends previous research through studying both genders and the romantic partner standpoint, but its main novel contribution is a systematic comparison between idiographic, participant-generated, and nomothetic, fixed-item measures of appearance-related selfdiscrepancies. The findings show that these measures cannot be, and should not be, treated as equivalent. The idiographic measures were superior in predicting outcome variables when considering the own standpoint. Nomothetic measures did demonstrate some gender-specific associations, but only from the romantic partner standpoint, and only for women. These findings can be explained with respect to the assessment of accessible, versus available, self-discrepancies. Implications for selfdiscrepancy and body image theory and research are discussed.

Developmental Psychology, 2006

... original article appeared in record 2006-03514-007 .) The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined... more ... original article appeared in record 2006-03514-007 .) The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined in the present study as a possible cause for young girls' body dissatisfaction. A total of 162 girls, from age 5 to age 8, were exposed to images of either Barbie dolls, Emme dolls (US ...

Body Image, 2007

This study examines the effects of exposure to the muscular male body ideal on body-focused negat... more This study examines the effects of exposure to the muscular male body ideal on body-focused negative affect among male gym users and non-exercisers. As hypothesized, the impact of media exposure depended on men&amp;amp;amp;#39;s exercise status. Non-exercisers (n = 58) reported greater body-focused negative affect after exposure to images of muscular male models than after neutral images (no model controls), whereas gym users (n = 58) showed a tendency for less body-focused negative affect after the model images than after the control images. Furthermore, the extent to which gym users were motivated to increase strength and muscularity moderated these exposure effects; men who reported stronger strength and muscularity exercise motivation reported a greater degree of self-enhancement after exposure to the muscular ideal. The findings are interpreted with respect to likely differences in motives for social comparisons.

Sex Roles, 2000

Research on body image has neglected adolescents' ideals beyond thinness, particularly those of a... more Research on body image has neglected adolescents' ideals beyond thinness, particularly those of adolescent boys. Two studies are reported which examine a range of qualities in order to capture English adolescents' images of ideal bodies for same-and other-gender individuals. Study 1 used a qualitative approach, where 58 pupils aged 12-16 years discussed photograph arrays of ''good-looking'' media personalities of both genders and then chose descriptors for ''ideal'' women and men. Adolescents' preferences for qualities in either an ''ideal woman'' or an ''ideal man,'' and possible influences on those preferences, were assessed quantitatively in Study 2, which used a questionnaire with 458 pupils in the same age range. With few exceptions, all respondents were white Caucasian and roughly equally split between working-class and middle-class backgrounds. The main findings were that body-image ideals are multidimensional, show systematic gender differences, and become more conventional with age (closer to cultural ideals). Adolescents' own body mass is linked systematically to body-image preferences, but only with respect to the ''ideal woman,'' where heavier adolescents of both genders (higher BMI) distance themselves from conventional notions of female beauty.

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2009

... emma StirliNg University of Sussex, UK ... Further evidence comes from studies demonstrating ... more ... emma StirliNg University of Sussex, UK ... Further evidence comes from studies demonstrating that activation of appearance-related cognitive structures can mediate some effects of exposure to thin models (Brown & Dittmar, 2005; Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2002). ...

Body Image, 2005

This study investigates the effect of social comparisons with media models on women&amp;a... more This study investigates the effect of social comparisons with media models on women&amp;amp;amp;#39;s body image based on either self-evaluation or self-improvement motives. Ninety-eight women, for whom appearance was a relevant comparison dimension, viewed advertisements that did, or did not, feature idealised models, after being prompted to engage in self-evaluation or self-improvement comparisons. The results indicate that, when focusing on self-evaluation, comparisons with thin models are associated with higher body-focused anxiety than viewing no model advertisements. In contrast, when focusing on self-improvement, comparisons with thin models are not associated with higher body-focused anxiety than viewing no models. Furthermore, women&amp;amp;amp;#39;s general tendency to engage in social comparisons moderated the effects of self-evaluative comparisons with models, so that women who did not habitually engage in social comparisons were most strongly affected. It is suggested that motive for social comparison may explain previous inconsistencies in the experimental exposure literature and warrants more careful attention in future research.