The Effects of Social Instrumentality of Appearance on Body Satisfaction and Appearance Management Behaviors of Female Adolescents

외모의 사회적 유용성이 여자 청소년의 신체만족도와 외모관리행동에 미치는 영향

The purposes of this study were to investigate female adolescents' attitude toward the social instrumentality of appearance and to examine the effects of the attitude toward the social instrumentality of appearance on female adolescents' body satisfaction and appearance management behaviors. The subjects for this study were 435 female middle school and high school students in Daejeon and Chungnam province. The research method was a survey and the measuring instruments were a self-administrated questionnaire with 4 parts (social instrumentality of appearance, body satisfaction, appearance management behaviors, and subjects' demographics attributions). The data were analyzed by Cronbach's ${\alpha}$, factor analysis, cluster analysis, ${\chi}^2$ test, t-test, using SPSS statistical program. The results were as follows. Three dimensions (the utility of interpersonal relationship, sexual partnership and social achievement) were emerged on social instrumentality of appearance, and female adolescents were divided into 2 groups(unreceptive group and receptive group) by social instrumentality of appearance. Social instrumentality of appearance had significant effects on female adolescents' body satisfaction and appearance management behaviors. The group who had receptive attitude toward the social instrumentality of appearance was showed the lower body satisfaction and more positive attitude to perform appearance management behaviors including clothing and accessories management, fitness, skin and hair care, and plastic surgery than unreceptive group.