COLUMBIA, Mo., March 26 (UPI) -- The rail-thin, boyish figures of models on magazine covers make all women feel bad about their own bodies, according to a U.S. study.
Previous research had suggested heavier women felt worse than thinner women after viewing some of ultra-thin models in the mass media, University of Missouri-Columbia researchers said.
The study of 81 women, published in the journal Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, found no matter what their height or weight, after viewing the svelte models, women reported a drop in their level of satisfaction with their own bodies.
"Surprisingly, we found that weight was not a factor. Viewing these pictures was just bad for everyone," Laurie Mintz of the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Education said in a statement.
"These unrealistic images of women, who are often airbrushed or partially computer-generated, have a detrimental impact on women and how they feel about themselves," she said.
