Plus-size fashion models ‘can aid women’s psychological health’

Seeing plus-size fashion models in the media can be good for women's psychological health, as well as making for more memorable advertising.

This is according to a new study from Florida State University, which recruited 49 college-age women, all of whom indicated they wanted to be thinner, and showed them various images of thin, average and plus-size fashion models on a TV screen.

When thin models were on screen, research participants made more comparisons between the models and themselves, coming away from the experiment with lower body satisfaction. They also paid less attention to the actual content of the media and remembered less about the models.

However, when average and plus-size models were on screen, research participants made fewer comparisons, paid more attention and remembered more, while walking away with higher levels of body satisfaction.

Russell Clayton, assistant professor at the Florida State University school of communication, said: "It might be a useful persuasive strategy for media producers to employ plus-size models if the goal of the campaign is to capture attention while also promoting body positivity."

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