Measuring Male Body Image: A Review of the Current Methodology

Much body image research has been directed toward the study of males (H. G. Pope, K. A. Phillips, & R. Olivardia, 2000). However, little attention has been devoted to consideration of which methods yield the most accurate measurement of this population. Based on numerous social psychological studies indicating the salience of a muscular appearance (e.g., H. G. Pope, R. Olivardia, A. Gruber, & J. Borowiecki, 1999), 3 guidelines were derived for assessing male body image. Existing methods of male body image assessment were evaluated based on their adherence to these guidelines and avoidance of methodological shortcomings. The most effective measures of male body image were the Drive for Muscularity Scale (D. R. McCreary & D. K. Sasse, 2000), somatomorphic matrix (A. J. Gruber, H. G. Pope, J. Borowiecki, & G. Cohane, 1999), and a modification to the somatomorphic matrix introduced here.