Graduation Year
2013
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Science
Primary Major
Psychology
Thesis Advisor
Afshin Gharib, PhD
Abstract
In efforts to support the Objectification Theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), much research has been done on areas such as body image and eating disorders, but less on clothing. The present study focused on the relationship between clothing choices and body image. The measures used included a demographics questionnaire, Self-Objectification Questionnaire (Fredrickson, Roberts, Noll, Quinn, & Twenge, 1997), Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Cash, 1990), Clothing Choice Dimensions (Kwon & Parham, 1994) of fashion, camouflage, comfort, assurance, and individuality. The last measure, written by the researcher, included pictures that exemplified the five dimensions of clothing. There were a total of 154 participants between the ages of 18 and 80. All research participants were female; 16 reported to be either lesbian or bisexual. It was hypothesized that preferences for clothing used to self objectify (fashion and camouflage) would be associated with a more negative body image than clothing preferences that are not used to self-objectify (individuality, assurance, and comfort). It was found that people with preferences for camouflage clothing tend to be less satisfied with their body than people with preferences for fashion clothing. This finding directly supports the hypothesis. It was also found that people with a higher BMI tend to self-objectify and prefer camouflage clothing more than people with a lower BMI. Lastly, it was found that although people with fashion preferences tend to be more satisfied with their body and health, they also tend to have a higher overweight preoccupation than groups who preferred different clothing.