thinner female characters received more positive comments than heavier female characters and heavier characters received more negative comments than thinner female characters ( Fouts & Burggraf , 2000 ). According to social cognitive theory , the audience will learn that being thin leads to rewards while being overweight leads to punishment . Another potential consequence of exposure to the thin ideal represented in the media is increased approval of body alteration methods and increased future likelihood of getting a cosmetic procedure for young adults ( Harrison , 2003 ).
In sum , research has consistently linked the idealized depictions of women in the media to the mainstreaming of cosmetic surgery ( Harrison , 2003 ). Therefore , I predicted that compared to emerging adults whose favorite character is average weight , those who have an underweight favorite character will be more likely to want to get cosmetic procedures .
Summary of Methods and Results
Participants in this study were randomly selected from motor vehicle and voter registration records for potential jury duty in Arizona . The response rate was approximately 70 % with a total of 948 adults filling out the questionnaire . In this study 179 emerging adults were included in the sample of respondents ( those with an age range from 18
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