A Social Cognitive Perspective on the Flexibility of Social Comparison to Idealized Media Images: A Review of Current Literature and Implications for Future Research

This paper reviews current literature in body image research on the social comparison effects of idealized media images as well as important works in the social cognitive models of social comparison. Two puzzles are identified in the body image literature that deserve more clarifications: 1) whether explicit instructions of comparison will elicit increased amount of self-to-standard comparisons and subsequently more negative outcomes; 2) whether the nature of advertising will activate different types of self-concepts that affect the outcomes and processes of social comparison to attractive models in advertising. This paper offers theoretical explanations from social cognitive perspectives on social comparison. Implications for future research are discussed.