70 | nº 29, pp. 61-74 | doxa.comunicación
July-December of 2019
Adolescents and body cult: the influence of Internet advertising in search of the idealized male body
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
Graph 3
Source: Own elaboration from the data obtained.
When considering the ideal body to reach, both groups place these somatotypes mainly between 5/6 according to the scale, 52.4% in the case of boys who saw the advertising with stereotyped bodies and 61.2% for the other group. However, the former show higher percentages in the somatotypes with greater muscular definition, a 39.3% place it between 7/8 and 8.3% between 9/10, compared to the sample of boys who saw neutral advertising a 3.1% place it below; models 3/4; and 35.7% choose models 7/8.
According to the answers given by female students in these same questions, both samples consider that the healthiest somatotype is between 5/6. When it comes to evaluating the anatomical model that most closely resembles the somatotype of the boys they know, the majority of samples as in both, opted 3/4.
Comparing the three variables, it seems that all boys, regardless of the block of ads they have viewed, conceive a direct relationship between healthy body perception and muscle development. When relating to assessing their body perception, in the sample of boys who viewed the advertisement of Block A, there is an upward accentuation due to their position in lower somatotypes. Finally, all seek to reach bodies with greater muscle development, but the group that saw more stereotyped images of male models shows a greater tendency to choose idealized bodies with greater muscle development than the average.