AGE AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BODY ATTITUDES - A COMPARISON OF YOUNG AND ELDERLY ADULTS

One hundred and thirty-two young adults (Mean = 19 years) and 142 elde rly adults (Mean = 74 years) evaluated thirty-five different aspects o f their own bodies. As hypothesized, elderly adults expressed less pos itive attitudes than young adults toward body items associated with bo dy functioning (physical coordination, agility, sex drive, health). Th ese differences are consistent with research indicating a progressive decline in bodily function efficiency with advancing age (Christofalo, 1988; Lakatta, 1990). Also as expected, the elderly held less positiv e attitudes toward body aspects associated with facial attractiveness (lips, appearance of eyes, cheek/cheekbones). These differences are in line with the structural changes that occur in the face as people age , moving them further from cultural beauty standards. One area where t hese age differences were reversed was in women's attitudes toward wei ght-related body items: elderly women expressed greater satisfaction t han young women toward their appetite, thighs, and weight. The cause o f this age difference in women may be due to thinness being a more def ining standard of attractiveness for young women, or it could be due t o the fact that people typically lose weight after the age of fifty, t hus making weight gain less of a concern for older women. Results furt her indicated that, although men have more positive body attitudes tha n women, this gender difference is not nearly as pronounced among the elderly.