Weight and perceptions of body image in women and men in a Sydney sample

Using a modification of the distorting camera technique, 50 obese women (body mass index (BMI; kg/m2 35.1 +/- 1.1), 40 obese men (BMI 38.2 +/- 1.5) and their respective normal weight controls estimated their body size. The obese women, control women and obese men overestimated their body size, whilst control weight men were accurate. The control men were satisfied with their body size, control women less so and the obese were unsatisfied. Whilst the control women considered themselves overweight (BMI 26.7 +/- 0.8 compared to actual BMI 23.1 +/- 0.5, P less than 0.001) their preferred and actual body sizes were identical. There were no differences between obese subjects and controls in the sizes they considered healthy and attractive. The accepted normal size range for a woman was lower than that accepted for men. Older men (both obese and normal weight) accepted larger sizes for women than younger men. These results show that the obese overestimated their body size and supports the notion that there is social pressure on women to strive towards a slimmer ideal, whilst overweight men are more accepted.