Television and Perceived Peer Expectations of Body Size Among African American Adolescent Girls

Authors

Kamille Gentles-Peart, Roger Williams UniversityFollow
Kristen Harrison, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2006

Comments

Published in: Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 17, no. 1, 2006.

Abstract

Survey data collected from 61 African American adolescent girls explored body mass index as a moderator of the relationship between girls' ideal-body television exposure and their perceptions of how same-sex peers expect them to look. For larger-bodied girls, ideal-body television viewing predicted the belief that female peers expect them to be smaller. For smaller-bodied girls, ideal-body television viewing predicted the belief that female peers expect them to be larger. These findings point to a moderate body size ideal for African American girls and are consistent with assumptions underlying the influence of presumed influence model and the mainstreaming process outlined in cultivation theory.

Recommended Citation

Kamille A. Gentles & Kristen Harrison (2006) "Television and Perceived Peer Expectations of Body Size Among African American Adolescent Girls". Howard Journal of Communications, 17(1)