JOURNAL OF BUSINESS DIVERSITY

Reflections in the Store Window: U.S. Women’s Self-Comparisons to Mannequins

Author(s): Deborah J. C. Brosdahl, Katherine Annette Burnsed, Joohyung Park, Amanda Cohen

Citation: Deborah J. C. Brosdahl, Katherine Annette Burnsed, Joohyung Park, Amanda Cohen,  (2017) "Reflections in the Store Window: U.S. Women’s Self-Comparisons to Mannequins," Journal of Business Diversity, Vol.17, Iss. 3, pp. 34-46

Article Type: Research paper

Publisher: North American Business Press

Abstract:

One of the promotional tools retailers often use to promote clothing is a stick-thin mannequin that does not reflect the body type of a typical American female. The use of snowball convenience sampling method yielded 316 usable responses. Results indicate that the greater the woman's body mass index, the more likely she is to compare herself with mannequins and to perceive discrepancy between her body and the body of a mannequin and, 2) subsequently, the less likely she is to be satisfied with her own body. This research extends Social Comparison Theory.