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. 2020 Jan 20;17(2):672.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17020672.

Selfie-Viewing and Facial Dissatisfaction among Emerging Adults: A Moderated Mediation Model of Appearance Comparisons and Self-Objectification

Jing Yang  1 , Jasmine Fardouly  2 , Yuhui Wang  3 , Wen Shi  4
Affiliations

Selfie-Viewing and Facial Dissatisfaction among Emerging Adults: A Moderated Mediation Model of Appearance Comparisons and Self-Objectification

Jing Yang et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

With the visual turn in online communication, selfies have become common on social media. Although selfies as a way of self-representation provide people with more chances to express themselves, the adverse effects selfies could bring to users' body image need to be treated seriously. This study tested whether selfie-viewing behaviour on social media was related to facial dissatisfaction and whether appearance comparisons played a mediating role. Moreover, the self-objectification was examined as a moderator between selfie-viewing behaviour and facial dissatisfaction via appearance comparisons. Results showed that more selfie-viewing was associated with higher facial dissatisfaction, and this relationship was mediated by appearance comparisons. The study also found that self-objectification moderated the indirect relation between selfie-viewing and facial dissatisfaction via appearance comparisons. Gender differences were also found to affect the mediation model. Our research provides new insights into the interactions between social media use and perception of body image.

Keywords: appearance comparisons; facial dissatisfaction; self-objectification; selfies; social media.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The proposed moderated mediation model.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The interaction between appearance comparisons and self-objectification on facial dissatisfaction.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The interaction between appearance comparisons and gender on facial dissatisfaction. AC = appearance comparisons.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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