TITLE:
An Experimental Assessment of the Effects of K-Pop Music Video Exposure on Teenagers’ Negative Body Image
AUTHORS:
Abigail Lin, Denisa Vlasceanu, Madalina Vlasceanu
KEYWORDS:
Negative Body Image, K-Pop Music Videos, Beauty Standards
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.8,
August
3,
2021
ABSTRACT: Exposure to K-Pop music videos has been associated
with increased negative body image in prior correlational work. Here, we
experimentally assessed the causal link between exposure to K-Pop music videos
and negative body image in teenagers. To investigate, we recruited a sample of
76 teenagers from high schools in the United States and Europe. Participants
first rated their body image perception
(pre-test) after which they were randomly assigned to watch a K-Pop
music video (Experimental Condition) or a classical music video (Control
Condition). Finally, participants rated their body image again (post-test). We
did not find a causal relationship between K-Pop music video exposure and
negative body image in teenagers. In exploratory analyses, we found that baseline levels of
negative body image are lower in European compared to American
teenagers. We discuss these results in the context of beauty standards across
cultures.