It's Not Just a “Woman Thing:” The Current State of Normative Discontent

Abstract

This study assessed “normative discontent,” the concept that most women experience weight dissatisfaction, as an emerging societal stereotype for women and men (Rodin, Silberstein, & Streigel-Moore, 1984 Rodin, J., Silberstein, L. R. and Striegel-Moore, R. H. 1984. “Women and weight: A normative discontent”. In Nebraska symposium on motivation: Psychology and gender, Edited by: Sonderegger, T. B. 267–307. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. [Google Scholar]). Participants (N = 472) completed measures of stereotypes, eating disorders, and body image. Normative discontent stereotypes were pervasive for women and men. Endorsing stereotypes varied by sex and participants' own disturbance, with trends towards eating disorder symptomotology being positively correlated with stereotype endorsement. Individuals with higher levels of body image and eating disturbance may normalize their behavior by perceiving that most people share their experiences. Future research needs to test prevention and intervention strategies that incorporate the discrepancies between body image/eating-related stereotypes and reality with focus on preventing normalization of such experiences.