Abstract
Fat talk is a social phenomenon during which women speak negatively with each other about the size/shape of their bodies (Nichter
and Vuckovich 1994). In this study, exposure to fat talk from peers was experimentally manipulated to determine the effect of hearing fat talk
on a woman’s own likelihood of engaging in fat talk and on state body dissatisfaction, guilt, and sadness. Undergraduate women
(n = 87; all of a healthy weight) from a Midwestern university in the United States participated in a study ostensibly about
discussing magazine advertisements. Two female confederates were present for the discussion. While discussing an advertisement
featuring an attractive and thin female model, participants either heard both confederates engage in fat talk, neither confederate
engage in fat talk, or the first engage in fat talk and the second challenge the fat talk. Hearing a confederate fat talk
made the participants more likely to fat talk themselves (especially if the fat talk went unchallenged) and increased participants’
self-reported state body dissatisfaction and guilt. Participants who engaged in fat talk reported higher levels of self-reported
state body dissatisfaction and guilt, compared to participants who did not engage in fat talk (even when controlling for pre-existing
trait body dissatisfaction). Participant fat talk mediated the effect of condition on both state body dissatisfaction and
guilt. Additionally, correlational analyses revealed that participants with higher levels of trait body dissatisfaction (assessed
at a pre-test) were more likely to engage in fat talk (regardless of condition).
and Vuckovich 1994). In this study, exposure to fat talk from peers was experimentally manipulated to determine the effect of hearing fat talk
on a woman’s own likelihood of engaging in fat talk and on state body dissatisfaction, guilt, and sadness. Undergraduate women
(n = 87; all of a healthy weight) from a Midwestern university in the United States participated in a study ostensibly about
discussing magazine advertisements. Two female confederates were present for the discussion. While discussing an advertisement
featuring an attractive and thin female model, participants either heard both confederates engage in fat talk, neither confederate
engage in fat talk, or the first engage in fat talk and the second challenge the fat talk. Hearing a confederate fat talk
made the participants more likely to fat talk themselves (especially if the fat talk went unchallenged) and increased participants’
self-reported state body dissatisfaction and guilt. Participants who engaged in fat talk reported higher levels of self-reported
state body dissatisfaction and guilt, compared to participants who did not engage in fat talk (even when controlling for pre-existing
trait body dissatisfaction). Participant fat talk mediated the effect of condition on both state body dissatisfaction and
guilt. Additionally, correlational analyses revealed that participants with higher levels of trait body dissatisfaction (assessed
at a pre-test) were more likely to engage in fat talk (regardless of condition).
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s11199-011-0050-1
- Authors
- Rachel Hannah Salk, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
- Renee Engeln-Maddox, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
- Journal Sex Roles
- Online ISSN 1573-2762
- Print ISSN 0360-0025