File this one under “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” A controversial new study claims that plus-size models could be fueling the obesity epidemic. It’s an unpopular claim, and one that could be contradicted by researchers from the Rochester, NY, area.
After years of intense criticism of the fashion industry over their use of stick-thin models, many companies have begun using a larger spectrum of body types in their advertisements.
Critics allege that the beauty and fashion industry’s obsession with thin, emaciated-looking models helped fuel an epidemic of eating disorders among generations of young girls and boys. But recently, a national body-positivity movement has led to a growing visibility of more diverse body types.
Now a new study from Simon Fraser University in Canada concludes that plus-size models could be partly to blame for rising obesity rates. Furthermore, because of the increased attention such ads generate in the media, the researchers came to the counter-intuitive conclusion that they may make some people even more self-conscious about their looks.
Lily Lin, Ph.D., and Brent McFerran, Ph.D., authored the study together; they wanted to balance out the copious research that had already been done on images with extremely thin models. Advertisements can affect people in a variety of ways, particularly young people. One survey found that 68% of U.S. internet users visited a store after seeing an ad online during the 2014 holiday shopping season. But advertisements can also have effects beyond shopping behaviors, helping to shape broader perceptions about “normal” and “healthy” body types.
“While much research had focused on the harmful effects of unrealistic and overly thin models and we completely agree with this line of research, relatively less work had been done on larger body types, especially when these images are paired with acceptance messages such as ‘real’ or ‘normal,'” Lin told People magazine.
“We acknowledge that campaigns that can help promote healthy images or enhance people’s body esteem are very important and critical.” Lin says. “Based on this work, however, we believe that statements that place a value judgment on any body type could have implications for consumers.”
However, research from Rochester casts doubt on the new study. In 2009, the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester released a report on childhood obesity rates in the city. Pediatricians at the hospital found that 40% of children and teens in the City of Rochester were overweight or obese, but only 25% of kids from the suburbs had similar weight problems.
So while there’s little doubt that advertisements can impact young people, other factors — such as the relationship between poverty and limited access to healthier foods — undoubtedly play a much larger role in the obesity epidemic.
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