The present study aimed to investigate the role of processing in women’s responses
to thin idealized images of beauty. A sample of 144 women viewed magazine
advertisements containing either thin ideal or product images. Instructional
set was manipulated with three levels: control, social comparison, and fantasy
instructions. It was found that exposure to thin ideal images led to increased
negative mood and body dissatisfaction, while instructional set had its effect on
positive mood and body dissatisfaction. For thin ideal images, social comparison
instructions led to greater negative mood and body dissatisfaction, while fantasy
instructions led to improved positive mood. Importantly, regression analyses
indicated that both comparison processing (negatively) and fantasy processing
(positively) were associated with women’s response to thin ideal images. It was
concluded that the nature of the processing women engage in is crucial to their
response to thin ideal images
