| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of the study is to analyze adolescents’ ideals of physical beauty, the importance of physical appearance in their lives, and their attitude to own body. It was hypothesized that adolescent males and females have different ideals of feminine and masculine beauty, and different attitude to the appearance and the body. 8th form pupils with normal and less than normal BMI (body mass index) took part in the research (176 pupils). The following methods were used in the research: BMI= kg/m2; The lists of characteristics for an ideal man and an ideal woman; 9 Figure Scales; Body Image Questionnaire; Appearance Schemas Inventory. According to the results it was found that adolescent males and females have similar and at the same time a little bit different ideals of feminine and masculine beauty. Their beauty ideals are similar to the stereotypes of the ideal man and the ideal woman in the Western cultures, but there is no strong preference for thinness. Perception of ideal body of the opposite sex is different among adolescent males and females: males show greater preference for a thin feminine body and a bigger masculine body than females. Adolescent males and females have different body images too: males reported more positive body image, females- more negative. In the opinion of adolescents involved in the research beautiful appearance is not a very important thing in their lives. They don’t realize the impact of media to body image and to ideals of feminine and masculine body image. |
