Beauty work or beauty care? Women's perceptions of appearance in the second half of life.

The prevailing cultural emphasis on women's attractiveness being tied to youth raises questions about how women perceive their appearance in the second half of life. The current qualitative study addresses this issue by posing two questions: how do women over fifty perceive and describe changes in their appearance? And how do they cope with these changes? Five focus group meetings with 19 Israeli women aged 54-76 were held to examine the issue. The meetings were structured around viewing three film clips starring older characters, encouraging the reporting of attitudes and perceptions in response to the clips. Based on a latent thematic analysis, the findings led to the conceptualization of a five-attitude model in response to physical changes in women's appearance: Grief-over the loss of youth and attractiveness; Resentment-over gendered media representations and cultural norms; Avoidance-distancing from one's aged appearance; Care-maintaining grooming routines; and Acceptance-coming to terms with the changes in appearance. Differences in responses between women were interpreted as reflecting a distinction between internal and external locus of control. Those with an external locus of control internalized the judgmental gaze of others, thus, reporting a greater sense of loss. Those with an internal locus of control were better able to accept themselves and focus on grooming rather than conforming to an imagined ideal. Results suggest that the distinction between understanding women's relationship with their appearance in terms of beauty work or beauty care may depend on the woman's locus of control.

Overcoming social appearance anxiety among children affected by congenital physical differences.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: How can we effectively help children with congenital physical differences and their parents in adapting to their situation and overcome social appearance anxiety? How can we improve their self-efficacy in social situations and relationships, as well as increase their self-esteem and self-confidence, which are foundations of assertiveness? RECENT FINDINGS: Several studies have examined the coping skills variability between children. Researchers have attempted to identify the discriminating factors of these differences. Standardized programmes combining Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Social Skills Training (SST) have been developed, but recent studies question their effectiveness. Research is now focusing on third-wave CBT that is promoted actively despite insufficient evidence. SUMMARY: Close examination of the mechanisms by which children develop social appearance anxiety shows that exposure and assertiveness training are key therapeutic tools. As with any other type of social anxiety, exposure allows these children to experience and learn positive, value-enhancing social relationships, in spite of their differences. SST creates a well tolerated exposure environment for whichever kind of curiosity the child may encounter. Therapeutic support requires continued individualized readjustment and a complete understanding of the child's personal history, the complex system in which they are developing, and the mechanisms involved. We suggest to formulate for each child a personalized 'Global Theory', which integrates history and detailed functional analyses.

Women's body dissatisfaction, physical appearance comparisons, and Instagram use throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the evolution of Instagram use, body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons throughout the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and to explore whether there was a relationship between the changes in Instagram use throughout the pandemic and body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons. METHOD: A total of 272 Spanish women (16-70 years old) were followed-up across four waves of assessment between November 2019 (before the pandemic started) and July 2021. Body dissatisfaction, social appearance comparisons, and Instagram use were assessed using the Eating Disorders Inventory-3, the Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised, and an ad hoc questionnaire for Instagram use, respectively. RESULTS: No statistically significant changes were found in the frequency of Instagram use, nor on the proportion of women following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram, among the data collection periods. Body dissatisfaction significantly increased from T1 to T4, and physical appearance comparisons significantly increased from T1 to T2, T3, and T4. These increases were not found to be significant for those with eating disorder risk. No significant differences were found in body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons depending on whether participants' frequency of Instagram use had changed or remained the same, or whether they had started/stopped/continued following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram during the pandemic. DISCUSSION: Women's body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons seem to have increased throughout the pandemic. The experiences of individuals with eating disorder risk throughout the pandemic, and the relationship between the pandemic and Instagram use, might be complex and need further research. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that women's body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons have increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this increase might not be as clear for those who had eating disorder risk before the pandemic. Instagram frequency of use, and the percentage of women following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram, do not seem to have significantly increased. More research is needed to explore the impact of the pandemic.

Factors affecting body image perception, social media addiction, and social media consciousness regarding physical appearance in adolescents.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted cross-sectionally with the aim of determining the factors affecting adolescents' Appearance Related Social Media Consciousness Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents and Body Image Scale scores and the extent to which social media addiction and body image perception predict social media consciousness scores. DESIGN AND METHODS: The population of this study consisted of adolescents between the ages of 12-18 years studying in the academic year 2022-2023. The study was completed with 1667 volunteer students. The Body Image Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents and Appearance Related Social Media Consciousness Scale were used to collect the data. RESULTS: When the models were evaluated, it was determined that being female, increasing the time spent on the internet, sharing pictures frequently, using filters on pictures and being uncomfortable with the sharing of unfiltered pictures, and spending the most time on social media sites were strong predictors of Appearance Related Social Media Consciousness Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents and Body Image Scale scores. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, in our study, as adolescents' negative body image perception and social media addiction increased, social media consciousness about appearance increased. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Nurses can determine risky groups according to the results of the study and organize trainings on body image perception, the effects of social media use and media literacy.

Relationship Between Stigma Experience and Self-Perception Related to Facial Appearance in Young Japanese Patients with Cleft lip and/or Palate.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between stigma experience related to facial appearance in Japanese youths with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and their self-perception. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-nine Japanese youths with CL/P (11-18 years old). OUTCOME MEASURES: The participants' stigma experience in relation to facial appearance (measured with 7 single contextual scale items) and their self-perception (measured with 5 domain scores based on 30 perceptual items) were assessed using the Japanese version of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Facial Differences Module. Participants were categorized into high and low self-perception subgroups with a threshold of 1 standard deviation for each domain. The frequency of stigma experiences was compared between the following 2 subgroups: age, sex, cleft palate only versus other cleft, and high versus low self-perception. Correlations between the responses regarding stigma and all domain scores were examined. RESULTS: Sixteen percent of the participants reported experiencing stigma. Hearing others say something about their face occurred significantly more frequently in youths 15 to 18 years of age than in youths 11 to 14 years of age. Stigma frequency was not found to differ by sex or cleft type. Stigma experiences were significantly more frequent for youth with higher scores across negative self-perception domains as well as higher coping skills. Significant correlations were identified between responses regarding stigma items and all domain scores (r = 0.27-0.63, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: It was found that stigma experiences related to facial appearance may influence negative self-perceptions of facial differences as well as higher coping skills among Japanese youths with CL/P.

Body satisfaction of lesbian and bisexual Brazilian women: Indicators of self-esteem, physical appearance perfectionism, and identity processes.

This article examined the association between body satisfaction and sexual identification among lesbian and bisexual women, since these factors help to understand the cultural background of the objectification of female bodies in Latin cultures. Women who identify as lesbian (N = 239) and bisexual (N = 60) completed demographic data and measures of self-esteem, physical appearance perfectionism, lesbian and bisexual identity difficulties, and body satisfaction. We performed a three-stage hierarchical multiple regression to explore how variables relate to body satisfaction. The results suggest that self-esteem plays a key role, explaining 20.4% of the variance in body satisfaction. We discussed the psychosocial and cultural aspects involved in the relationship between the variables, and social and aesthetic pressures on women's bodies. This study contributes to discussions on psychosocial aspects associated with body satisfaction among Brazilian lesbian and bisexual women.

Untangling the Animacy Organization of Occipitotemporal Cortex.

Some of the most impressive functional specializations in the human brain are found in the occipitotemporal cortex (OTC), where several areas exhibit selectivity for a small number of visual categories, such as faces and bodies, and spatially cluster based on stimulus animacy. Previous studies suggest this animacy organization reflects the representation of an intuitive taxonomic hierarchy, distinct from the presence of face- and body-selective areas in OTC. Using human functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the independent contribution of these two factors-the face-body division and taxonomic hierarchy-in accounting for the animacy organization of OTC and whether they might also be reflected in the architecture of several deep neural networks that have not been explicitly trained to differentiate taxonomic relations. We found that graded visual selectivity, based on animal resemblance to human faces and bodies, masquerades as an apparent animacy continuum, which suggests that taxonomy is not a separate factor underlying the organization of the ventral visual pathway.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Portions of the visual cortex are specialized to determine whether types of objects are animate in the sense of being capable of self-movement. Two factors have been proposed as accounting for this animacy organization: representations of faces and bodies and an intuitive taxonomic continuum of humans and animals. We performed an experiment to assess the independent contribution of both of these factors. We found that graded visual representations, based on animal resemblance to human faces and bodies, masquerade as an apparent animacy continuum, suggesting that taxonomy is not a separate factor underlying the organization of areas in the visual cortex.

Magic Traits in Magic Fish: Understanding Color Pattern Evolution Using Reef Fish.

Color patterns provide easy access to phenotypic diversity and allow the questioning of the adaptive value of traits or the constraints acting on phenotypic evolution. Reef fish offer a unique opportunity to address such questions because they are ecologically and phylogenetically diverse and have the largest variety of pigment cell types known in vertebrates. In addition to recent development of their genetic resources, reef fish also constitute experimental models that allow the discrimination of ecological, developmental, and evolutionary processes at work. Here, we emphasize how the study of color patterns in reef fish can be integrated in an Eco/Evo/Devo (ecological evolutionary developmental) perspective and we illustrate that such an approach can bring new insights on the evolution of complex phenotypes.

An Evolutionary Perspective on Appearance Enhancement Behavior.

Researchers have highlighted numerous sociocultural factors that have been shown to underpin human appearance enhancement practices, including the influence of peers, family, the media, and sexual objectification. Fewer scholars have approached appearance enhancement from an evolutionary perspective or considered how sociocultural factors interact with evolved psychology to produce appearance enhancement behavior. Following others, we argue that evidence from the field of evolutionary psychology can complement existing sociocultural models by yielding unique insight into the historical and cross-cultural ubiquity of competition over aspects of physical appearance to embody what is desired by potential mates. An evolutionary lens can help to make sense of reliable sex and individual differences that impact appearance enhancement, as well as the context-dependent nature of putative adaptations that function to increase physical attractiveness. In the current review, appearance enhancement is described as a self-promotion strategy used to enhance reproductive success by rendering oneself more attractive than rivals to mates, thereby increasing one's mate value. The varied ways in which humans enhance their appearance are described, as well as the divergent tactics used by women and men to augment their appearance, which correspond to the preferences of opposite-sex mates in a heterosexual context. Evolutionarily relevant individual differences and contextual factors that vary predictably with appearance enhancement behavior are also discussed. The complementarity of sociocultural and evolutionary perspectives is emphasized and recommended avenues for future interdisciplinary research are provided for scholars interested in studying appearance enhancement behavior.

[Psychometric Evaluation of the German-Language Version of the Feedback on Physical Appearance Scale on Female Adolescents With Eating Disorders Plus Adolescents and Women Without Eating Disorders]. / Psychometrische Überprüfung der deutschsprachigen Version der Feedback on Physical Appearance Scale an weiblichen Jugendlichen mit Essstörungen sowie Jugendlichen und Frauen ohne Essstörungen.

Negative body-related feedback is associated with increased body dissatisfaction. The English-language version of the Feedback on Physical Appearance Scale (FOPAS) is an instrument to assess verbal and non-verbal body-related feedback, but a German-language version has not been validated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of its German-language version in a sample of adolescents with eating disorders (n=88) and in a sample of adolescents (n=123) and women (n=228) without eating disorders. Confirmatory factor analyses showed a moderate model fit from the English-language original study. All samples showed acceptable internal consistencies. The retest reliability was also mostly acceptable. Significant positive correlations with questionnaires on eating disorder symptoms (criterion validity), teasing (convergent validity) as well as the expected negative correlation with self-esteem indicated good validity. In addition, the FOPAS was able to differentiate between adolescents with and without eating disorders. To sum up, the German-language FOPAS appears to be suitable to assess verbal and non-verbal body-related feedback in research and practice.

Effects of fitspiration content on body image: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Fitspiration (also known as "fitspo") aims to inspire individuals to exercise and have healthy habits, but emerging research indicates that exposure to it can have a negative impact on body image. This study aims to analyze the relationship between individuals' exposure to fitspiration content and body image measures or associated variables (e.g., appearance comparison). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed papers published in English between 2000 and August 2022 was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO and Google Scholar, based on the PICOS model. To be included, studies had to analyze the relationship between exposure to fitspiration content (I) and body image or associated variables (O) in adolescents and adults (P). Study methodological quality was assessed using an adaptation of the EPHPP Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Outcome data were synthesized narratively and by vote counting. RESULTS: Twenty articles met the eligibility criteria and were included. Nineteen studies analyzed the relationship between fitspiration and body image, twelve analyzed the association between exposure to fitspiration and physical appearance comparison tendencies, and nine analyzed the association between fitspiration content and mood. One study analyzed the association between frequency of viewing fitspiration content and motives for exercise. Results showed that exposure to "fitspiration" increased individuals' body dissatisfaction, physical appearance comparisons, and negative mood, especially in younger populations. CONCLUSIONS: Fitspiration has been seen as a new and prolific digital trend, considered beneficial for health. However, our results showed that fitspo is associated with negative body image, especially in younger populations that are more exposed to this content. Most of the studies were conducted in females and young age participants, which limits the extrapolation of results by gender and age. Future studies are needed to confirm and extend these findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1, Systematic Review.

Clinical relevance of a Body Image Scale cut point of 10 as an indicator of psychological distress in cancer patients: results from a psychiatric oncology clinic.

PURPOSE: Adequate adjustment to bodily changes during various phases of cancer treatment is important to patients' emotional well-being. The Body Image Scale (BIS) is a widely used tool for assessment of body image concerns in different cancer types. However, a cut point score indicative of clinically relevant body image concerns has not been established. The purpose of our study was to evaluate whether the previously suggested, but not validated, BIS cut point score of ≥ 10 is an adequate indicator of psychological distress. METHODS: In a prospective cross-sectional study, 590 adult patients were recruited from a psychiatric oncology clinic (November 2017-March 2018). Patient-reported body image concerns, depression, anxiety, and emotional distress were assessed with the BIS, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer, respectively. RESULTS: Almost half of the patients had a BIS score ≥ 10; these were more likely to be younger, female, Hispanic, and to have breast cancer than patients with a score < 10. BIS scores were positively associated with depression, anxiety, and distress scores. A BIS score ≥ 10 was a significant predictor of moderate depression and anxiety (odds ratios = 3.555 [95% CI 2.478-5.102] and 3.655 [2.493-5.358]; p < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to have assessed the validity of the previously suggested clinically relevant BIS cut point score of ≥ 10 as an indicator of psychological distress. Our results suggest that a BIS score of ≥ 10 or higher should lead to follow-up on body image concerns and/or appropriate referral.

Effects of Women's Short-Term Mating Orientation and Self-Perceived Attractiveness in Rating and Viewing Men's Waist to Chest Ratios.

Women's mating strategies are dependent on multiple factors, such as identifying which men advertise physical features indicating high genetic quality, as well as identifying which men are willing to invest in offspring. Research has suggested that women pursuing short-term mating prioritize physical attraction to facilitate the acquisition of good genes. Although it is known that physical characteristics are important in mate choice, research investigating the saliency of physical features in assessing male fitness has not been readily explored. The current study used an eye-tracking paradigm to investigate the role of short-term mating in women and their attraction and visual attention to men's waist to chest ratios (WCRs). Women's short-term mating orientation (N = 130) was associated with attraction to men with low WCRs; however, their visual attention was not influenced by their mating strategy. Interestingly, women who perceived themselves as attractive rated men with low WCRs as more attractive and allocated attentional resources to physical features important in mate choice, such as the head and midriff region. The findings from this study lend some support to sexual strategies theory (Buss & Schmitt, 1993) and strategic pluralism (Gangestad & Simpson, 2000), and they suggest that mate preferences may be calibrated as a function of one's mate value.

Motives for weight loss and weight loss maintenance: results from the MedWeight study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship of weight loss motives with long-term outcomes is equivocal. We aimed to examine differences in weight loss motives of maintainers and regainers, as well as explore associations between motives and successful maintenance. METHODS: The study sample includes 607 adults, with a history of overweight/obesity and self-reported ≥10% voluntary weight loss, 12 months before study entry. Participants were classified as maintainers (weighing ≤90% maximum weight) or regainers. Volunteers identified possible motives for weight loss and maintenance (maintainers only), from a specific list. RESULTS: Both maintainers and regainers were predominantly motivated by physical appearance (38.6% versus 39.9%, P > 0.05) and self-esteem (26.8% versus 32.0%, P > 0.05) for weight loss. Compared to regainers, more maintainers reported weight reduction driven by social purposes (16.6% versus 9.4%, P = 0.022) and less were prompted by friends/family to lose weight (21.1% versus 31.7%, P = 0.005). In maintainers, shifts in motives from weight loss to maintenance phase were found, including an increased prevalence of health motives (6.4% versus 9.6%, P < 0.001) and decreased physical appearance motives (38.6% versus 30.3%, P < 0.001). Reporting physical appearance as main maintenance motive was inversely associated with maintained weight loss, after adjusting for age, sex and years of education (B = -3.49 [1.07], P = 0.001); maintainers reporting physical appearance as the main motive maintained 3.5% less weight loss compared to those who did not (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study has highlighted motivational influences associated with weight loss outcomes. Future studies should explore the ability of people with overweight/obesity to act upon motives for long-term weight management, as well as the impact of shifting through motives on the magnitude of maintenance.

Differences between perceived age and chronological age in women: A multi-ethnic and multi-centre study.

OBJECTIVE: Accuracy in assessing age from facial cues is important in social perception given reports of strong negative correlations between perceived age and assessments of health and attractiveness. In a multi-ethnic and multi-centre study, we previously documented similar patterns of female facial age assessments across ethnicities, influenced by gender and ethnicity of assessors. METHODS: Here we extend these findings by examining differences between estimated age from digital portraits and chronological age (Δ age) for 180 women from three age groups (20-34, 35-49, 50-66 years) and five ethnicities (36 images of each ethnicity, assessed for age on a continuous scale by 120 female and male raters of each ethnicity). RESULTS: Across ethnicities, Δ age was smallest in French assessors and largest in South African assessors. Numerically, French women were judged oldest and Chinese women youngest relative to chronological age. In younger women, Δ age was larger than in middle-aged and older women. This effect was particularly evident when considering the interaction of women's age with assessor gender and ethnicity, independently and together, on Δ age. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our findings suggest that accuracy in assessments of female age from digital portraits depends on the chronological age and ethnicity of the photographed women and the ethnicity and gender of the assessor. We discuss the findings concerning ethnic variation in skin pigmentation and visible signs of ageing and comment on implications for cosmetic science.

OBJECTIF: La capacité à évaluer l'âge d'un visage avec exactitude en fonction de ses caractéristiques est important dans sa perception sociale. En effet, des corrélations négatives fortes ont été rapportées entre l'âge perçu d'un visage d'une part, et sa santé et attractivité d'autre part. Dans le cadre d'une étude multi-ethnique et multicentrique, nous avons déjà documenté, dans une démarche similaire, comment la perception de l'âge de visages féminins entre différentes populations, est influencée par le genre et l'origine des évaluateurs. METHODES: Ici nous approfondissons ces premiers résultats par l'étude des différences entre l'âge estimé sur portraits numériques de 180 femmes issues de 3 groupes d'âges (20-34, 35-49, 50-66 ans) et de 5 populations d'origine différente (36 images de chaque population) et leur âge réel (Δ âge), et ce par 120 évaluatrices et évaluateurs de chaque population évaluant l'âge des visages en utilisant une échelle continue. RESULTATS: Au sein des différentes populations d'évaluateurs, le Δ âge le plus faible a été trouvé chez les évaluateurs français et le plus élevé chez les évaluateurs sud-africains. Sur portraits numériques, les femmes françaises ont été perçues comme étant les plus âgées et les femmes chinoises les plus jeunes, par rapport à leur âge réel. Chez les femmes les plus jeunes, le Δ âge a été plus élevé que chez les femmes d'âge moyen et les plus âgées. Ceci a particulièrement été le cas lorsque l'on considère les interactions entre l'âge des femmes évaluées, et le genre et l'origine des évaluateurs, de façon indépendante ou liée, avec le Δ âge. CONCLUSION: Aux travers des différentes analyses, nos résultats suggèrent que l'exactitude avec laquelle l'âge des femmes est évalué sur images numériques de leur visage, dépend de l'âge réel et de l'origine de ces femmes photographiées, ainsi que de l'origine est du genre de l'évaluateur. Nous discutons ces résultats en regard des variations de pigmentation cutanée et de signes visibles de l'âge entre les différentes populations et commentons les implications possibles pour les sciences cosmétiques.

Intrasexual Competition as a Predictor of Women's Judgments of Revenge Pornography Offending.

Recent legislative developments have led to a marked increase in the empirical investigation of motivations and judgments of so-called acts of "revenge pornography" offending. In two independently sampled studies, we used moderation analyses to investigate whether higher levels of intrasexual competition predicted more lenient judgments of revenge pornography offenses as a function of sex (Study 1, N = 241), and whether such relationships would be further moderated by physical attractiveness (Study 2, N = 402). Potential covariates of callous-unemotional traits, empathy, and victimization history were controlled for. Opposing our hypotheses, we consistently observed a trend for higher levels of intrasexual competition being associated with more lenient judgments of revenge pornography offenses involving male victims by female participants. The results are discussed in terms of intrasexual competition potentially sharing variance with unobserved constructs in the wider sexological literature, and of the key relevance of these findings for future empirical investigation into judgments of nonconsensual image-based offending.

Awareness of societal emphasis on appearance decreases women's (but not men's) career aspiration: A serial mediation model.

This research examined the association between awareness of societal emphasis on physical appearance and people's career aspiration and the process that linked the two. Specifically, we proposed that perceived societal emphasis on physical attractiveness would decrease women's career aspiration through decreased authenticity and perceived opportunity. A total of 349 college students (227 females) participated in the study. The results revealed that awareness of societal emphasis on physical attractiveness negatively predicted women's authenticity, and authenticity positively predicted perception of opportunity, which in turn predicted their career aspiration. However, this serial mediational model was not found in men. These findings suggest that socially prioritization of attractiveness can undermine women's strive for occupational prospects and add to a better understanding of women's growth and development.

Perceptions and experiences of female burn survivors with facial disfigurement.

PURPOSE: This study aimed at exploring the perceptions and experiences of female burn survivors with facial disfigurement in Pakistan. METHODS: Two different quantitative and qualitative studies were conducted, of which the data were collected from 100 burn patients. A pilot interview protocol was developed. An indepth interview of five female burn survivors with facial disfigurement was taken in Lahore, Pakistan. The transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis and four major themes were identified, respectively physical appearance, posttraumatic growth, relationships and coping strategies. RESULTS: Thematic analysis reflected differences in attributional style, perceptions and individual experiences of female burn survivors with facial disfigurement. The study showed the importance of physical appearance for different burn survivors and how their life had changed after suffering from a burn injury. CONCLUSION: It could be easy to have a positive outlook towards life and accept visible differences post injury for the burn survivors, who are grateful for life, get a strong family support and have available resources. On the contrary, with low self-esteem, lack of a family support and available resources, patients would be dissatisfied with their life.

Composition Factor Analysis and Factor Invariance of the Physical Appearance State and Trait Anxiety Scale (PASTAS) in Sports and Non-Sports Practitioner Mexican Adolescents.

The purpose of the present study was to adapt and validate the Physical Appearance State and Trait Anxiety Scale (PASTAS) for Mexican adolescents, verifying the factor invariance by sports and non-sports practitioners. A sample of 930 Mexican adolescents (46.0% females), aged 11-15 years old, voluntarily participated in the study. A total of 415 participants regularly played sports in a club and/or regularly participated in sports competitions and 515 were non-sports practitioners. The adolescents filled out the trait version of the PASTAS questionnaire, which was previously translated and adapted for Mexican-speaking adolescents following the International Test Commission guidelines. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses showed an adequate measurement model for the original two-factor structure (e.g., GFI = 0.913; RMSEA = 0.078; CFI = 0.943). The internal consistency of the two dimensions was excellent (α and Ω = 0.92-0.93). Additionally, the results of the factorial invariance analyses showed an appropriate fit of the two-structure model (e.g., GFI = 0.96; CFI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.04) among both sports and non-sports practitioners. The proposed trait version of the PASTAS questionnaire adapted to a Mexican-speaking population shows adequate psychometric properties among Mexican adolescents. The Mexican version of the PASTAS questionnaire supports the original two-factor structure (i.e., factor related to the body weight and factor not related to body weight) among adolescents. Additionally, the factorial invariance analyses support the equivalence of the two-factor structure among both sports and non-sports practitioners.

No impact of hunger on male perception of female physical attractiveness in relation to adiposity: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Female physical attractiveness is strongly related to body mass index (BMI). Females with lower BMI are on average more attractive down to at least BMI = 18. Previous correlational studies have indicated that this effect may be modulated by the hunger of the rater, with more hungry raters preferring images of subjects with greater adiposity. This prior work, however, was correlational and so we wished to explore this phenomenon further using a randomized controlled trial. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: Two studies are presented. In the first, 52 male participants were recruited and after an overnight fast were randomly allocated to either fed or starved treatments. Starved individuals continued not to feed, while fed individuals were given ad libitum access to foods and were encouraged to eat to full satiation. Their hunger levels were monitored using visual analog scales (VAS) and levels of circulating glucose. Four hours later, they were asked to complete a previously used female attractiveness rating test, a standard IQ test, and a memory recall test. In the second study, which was a double-blind experiment, 32 individuals were recruited to evaluate if the original effect was due to a confounding impact of alcohol consumption when dining. Blinded individuals consumed drinks with or without alcohol. Their circulating alcohol levels were quantified by a breath test, and they repeated the tests matched with the first study excluding the IQ test. RESULTS: Hunger resulted in lower performance on the memory recall test, but had no effect on the IQ score, and contrasting previous results had no effect on the ratings of female physical attractiveness. Circulating alcohol levels had no effect on the memory recall test, but there was a significant negative relationship between circulating alcohol and the mean adiposity of the five individuals rated as least attractive. CONCLUSIONS: This randomized controlled trial failed to replicate previous nonrandomized observational studies, which had suggested that ratings of female physical attractiveness by males are sensitive to the levels of hunger. The reason for the difference was possibly because in previous studies, levels of hunger were confounded by alcohol consumption.