Perceived weight of other persons

On the basis of photographs, students (N = 258) evaluated the weights of 77 male executives or 50 businesswomen. Women students were expected to be less likely than men, and non-American students (mostly ethnic Chinese) to be less likely than Americans, to assign thin ratings to the people in the photographs. No differences in ratings were found between the responses of male and female students, but some significant differences in ratings were found between the American and non-American students. The results suggest that studies of other persons, body images may yield limited insights into the eating disorders that can accompany body self-image distortions.