EMPIRICAL RESEARCH Body Dissatisfaction Among Adolescent Boys and Girls: The Effects of Body Mass, Peer Appearance Culture and Internalization of Appearance Ideals Margaret Lawler • Elizabeth Nixon Received: 14 September 2009 / Accepted: 17 December 2009 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 Abstract Body image dissatisfaction is a significant risk factor in the onset of eating pathology and depression. Therefore, understanding predictors of negative body image is an important focus of investigation. This research sought to examine the contributions of body mass, appearance conversations with friends, peer appearance criticism and internalization of appearance ideals to body dissatisfaction among adolescents. The sample was com- prised of 239 (54% female) adolescents, with a mean age of 16 years. Self-report questionnaires were completed on body dissatisfaction, peer appearance conversations and criticism, internalization of appearance ideals, height and weight. For girls and boys, body mass, appearance con- versations with friends, peer appearance criticism and internalized appearance ideals emerged as significant pre- dictors of body dissatisfaction. Gender moderated the effect of body mass on body dissatisfaction. Internalization mediated the relationship between peer appearance con- versations and criticism, and body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that while body mass exerts a differential risk for body dissatisfaction among boys and girls, inter- nalisation may represent a key psychological process that underpins body dissatisfaction among both boys and girls. Keywords Body dissatisfaction Á Internalization Á Adolescence Á Peer influence Á Body mass Á Gender differences Introduction Adolescence may be characterised as a decisive period in the development of body image. The considerable social, cognitive and physical changes experienced at this time contribute to the heightened awareness of body and weight concerns among adolescent males and females (Ata et al. 2007). Contemporary research suggests that body image dissatisfaction, or subjective unhappiness with some aspect of one’s appearance, is indeed a prevalent concern with approximately 30% of boys and 60% of girls reporting a desire to alter their shape or size (Ricciardelli and McCabe 2001; Stice and Whitenton 2002). Body image dissatis- faction is of growing importance owing to its implication as a risk factor in the subsequent onset of eating disorders (Stice et al. 2002), depression (McCreary and Sasse 2000), emotional distress (Johnson and Wardle 2005) and low self-esteem (Stice and Bearman 2001). Given the negative consequences of body image dissatisfaction, it is impera- tive that factors associated with and contributing to nega- tive body image are explored. Socio-cultural models have been prominent in explain- ing the development of body image dissatisfaction among young people. These models propose that society promotes an appearance culture that highlights the desirability of physical attractiveness and beauty for both males and females (Thompson et al. 1999; Keery et al. 2004). Female beauty is inextricably linked to thinness, with low body weight defined as a central attribute and key evaluative dimension of physical attractiveness (Stice et al. 2000; Nichter and Nichter 1991). In contrast with the thin ideal espoused for females, evolving cultural ideals of male appearance endorse a muscular or mesomorphic physique (Frederick et al. 2007; Grogan 2008). While males and females may be aware of socio-cultural ideals, it has been M. Lawler (&) Á E. Nixon School of Psychology & Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland e-mail: lawlerma@tcd.ie E. Nixon e-mail: enixon@tcd.ie 123 J Youth Adolescence DOI 10.1007/s10964-009-9500-2