%0 Journal Article
%T Before and After Avatar Exposure:  The Impact of Body Scanning Technology on Body Satisfaction, Mood, and Appearance Management
%A Jessica L. Ridgway
%J Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
%@ 1940-2473
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0887302X17749924
%X Loker et. al. initiated a call for research investigating how third dimension (3-D) affects one¡¯s perceptions of their own body by raising the following questions: Will the ability to see ourselves in 3-D increase body acceptance of normal variations and counteract the popular media images of what constitutes a beautiful body? Or will 3-D views increase dissatisfaction with our real bodies? In response, the researcher guided by self-discrepancy theory, investigated the unique experience of viewing one¡¯s body in 3-D on participants¡¯ self-reported levels of body satisfaction, mood, and appearance management. Results indicated that viewing one¡¯s avatar in 3-D magnifies individuals¡¯ actual¨Cideal (AI) self-discrepancies regardless of gender. The researcher observed decreased body satisfaction and mood when the magnitude of participants¡¯ AI discrepancies increased. Both men and women indicated wanting to engage in greater appearance management behaviors postavatar viewing compared to baseline reports. The theoretical and applied implications are discussed
%K body image
%K body scanning
%K appearance management
%K self-discrepancy
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0887302X17749924