Body Image Report - Parliament of Victoria

INQUIRY INTO ISSUES RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BODY IMAGE AMONG
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ASSOCIATED EFFECTS ON THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING
However, the specific nature of the ideal body and the relative
importance placed on that ideal are likely to vary.
2.53 Studies that have examined differences between individuals’
ratings of their actual body in comparison to their ideal size indicate
that when dissatisfied with their current shape, the vast majority of
females desire to be thinner. In contrast, when males are dissatisfied
with their weight, more than half desire to gain weight, 86 particularly in
the form of greater muscularity. 87 These differences are likely to derive
from social and cultural ideals previously mentioned stressing different
preferred body shapes for males and females.
Sexual Orientation
2.54 An individual’s sexual orientation may also be a determinant in
the development of body dissatisfaction. There is an assumption that
the cultural emphasis on physical attractiveness amongst gay men
causes greater pressure and anxiety and as a consequence body
concerns than occurs in heterosexual men. The assumption is
reversed in regard to gay women who place less emphasis on physical
attractiveness. 88 Studies have largely supported these conjectures in
men, with homosexual men reporting greater body and weight
dissatisfaction. 89 In research comparing gay and heterosexual women
results have been inconsistent, with some studies indicating no
differences and others indicating lesbian women to be more accepting
of higher weights or less concerned about body size. 90
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