Models, media and the perceptions of young women

People often seek to satisfy the need for self-evaluation by comparing themselves with people who share similar characteristics as themselves. Often however media images form part of the foundation for comparison and idealised self benchmarking. This may have negative effects on more susceptible segments of the population. This exploratory study examines the beliefs of young women about characteristics and benefits of attractiveness and is a precursor to further research on the nature of attractiveness. The data, gained from 15-30 year old females, illustrates that the impact models in the media have on perceptions of self, others, and attractiveness, differs across clusters of the population on which media influence is greater, moderate or low.