Chick lit may be hazardous to your health
New research suggests novels in which characters agonize about their bodies lead female readers to do the same
TOPICS: PACIFIC STANDARD, CHICK LIT, BRIDGET JONES' DIARY, LITERATURE, VIRGINIA TECH,ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
This piece originally appeared on Pacific Standard.
We have been warned of the impact of violent video games and sexually aggressive song lyrics. But little attention has been paid to another media phenomenon that may influence its fans to think and act in unwanted ways.
Psychological danger may lurk between the covers of that beach book.
Reading “chick lit” may lead women to think of themselves as less attractive and express more concern about their weight. That’s the conclusion of new research from Virginia Tech, published in the journal Body Image.
As co-authors Melissa Kaminski and Robert Magee note, previous research has found a strong link between images of thin women in magazines and movies and low body esteem on the part of female readers and viewers. This is a problem because dissatisfaction with one’s shape can lead to eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.
The researchers decided to explore whether the depiction of female characters in popular novels would have the same impact. So they turned to the world of “chick lit,” that popular genre that emerged in the 1990s and typically focuses on female characters and their “struggles with weight, dating and successful careers.” Bridget Jones’ Diary is one popular example.
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