Body Image 9 (2012) 409–412 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Body Image jo ur nal homep ag e: www.elsevier.com/locate/bodyimage Brief research report Clothing choices, weight, and trait self-objectification Marika Tiggemann ∗ , Rachel Andrew Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 16 November 2011 Received in revised form 24 February 2012 Accepted 29 February 2012 Keywords: Clothing functions Clothes Self-objectification Body image a b s t r a c t The present study aimed to assess the link between clothing choice and aspects of body image. Partici- pants were 112 female undergraduate students who completed a questionnaire containing a measure of clothing functions, as well as BMI, self-classified weight, and trait self-objectification. Results indicated that BMI and self-classified weight were positively correlated with the choice of clothes for camouflage. Self-objectification was positively correlated with choice of clothes for fashion, and negatively correlated with choosing clothes for comfort. It was concluded that clothing represents an important but neglected aspect of contemporary women’s management of their body’s appearance. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Although body image is a complex and multi-faceted con- struct encompassing many aspects of body experience (Cash & Pruzinsky, 1990), the major focus of contemporary research has been on body shape and weight. In particular, there has been relatively little research into everyday appearance-management behaviours such as hairstyle or clothing (Cash, 1990). These are perhaps (erroneously) seen as “frivolous, trivial, and inconse- quential”, and hence unworthy of serious consideration (Frith & Gleeson, 2004). Yet women make clothing selections on a daily basis and spend the majority of their waking hours clothed, especially in the public domain. In addition, the wearing of clothes is definitionally an embodied practice (Tiggemann & Lacey, 2009). A small number of studies have addressed the function clothes play in women’s presentation of the body. Kwon and Parham (1994) found that women selected clothes more for camouflage and less for individuality when feeling “fat” than when feeling more slender. Similarly, clothing was spontaneously mentioned in a qualitative study of women’s body satisfaction both as a strat- egy to camouflage some unacceptable part of the body and as a means of self-expression (Rudd & Lennon, 2000). Finally, using a specific measure of clothing functions, Tiggemann and Lacey (2009) found clothes were chosen primarily for the positive functions of assurance, fashion and comfort by a sample of female shoppers. Nevertheless, increasing BMI (body mass index) and body dissatis- faction were related to the use of clothing for camouflage. However, ∗ Corresponding author at: School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia. E-mail address: Marika.Tiggemann@flinders.edu.au (M. Tiggemann). the participants in Tiggemann and Lacey’s (2009) study were a self- selected sample of shoppers at one particular middle- to high-end clothing store, and so by definition, could not include women who might actively avoid or rarely engage in shopping for clothes in such a (or indeed, any) clothing store. Thus the first aim of the present study was to use the same measure to investigate the rea- sons behind choice of clothing in an unselected sample of college women. It was expected that clothing functions would be similarly ranked in both samples. In addition, it was predicted that BMI and self-classified weight would be related to the clothing function of camouflage. As the small amount of available evidence shows that women use clothing for many purposes, including as a means of self- presentation to manage and improve their appearance, the concept of ‘self-objectification’ (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) may be partic- ularly relevant. Self-objectification refers to the internalization of an observer’s perspective on the physical self whereby women and girls come to view themselves in objectified terms. Characterized by constant and habitual monitoring of the external appearance, the perspective has now been associated with a host of negative outcomes, particularly body shame and disordered eating (e.g., McKinley & Hyde, 1996; Moradi, Dirks, & Matteson, 2005; Noll & Fredrickson, 1998; Tiggemann & Kuring, 2004; Tiggemann & Slater, 2001; Tylka & Hill, 2004). Indeed, in their initial formu- lation of objectification theory, Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) speculated that clothing (e.g., baggy) might be used as a strategy by women to consciously decrease both objectification by others and self-objectification. But as yet, there has been no systematic investigation of the relationship between clothing choice and self- objectification, although Prichard and Tiggemann (2005) did find that gym exercisers who wore baggy clothing had lower levels of trait self-objectification and self-surveillance than those who wore tight fitting gym gear. 1740-1445/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.02.003