Project

Body image concerns within objectifying environments.

My PhD research aims to investigate the exercise environment of fitness centres to explore factors that may or may not have a positive effect on body image concerns. This will be done under the framework of Objectification Theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997).

Fitness centres often promote bodily change through weight loss. They are full of mirrors that draw attention to the body and posters displaying the ideal female form. This focus on the female body within fitness centres may have a negative effect on the women exercising there. Research I have recently conducted (Prichard & Tiggemann, 2005) lends support to this notion by showing that female aerobic participants who exercised more within fitness centres scored higher on self-objectification than those who exercised more outside of the fitness centre environment.

Additional Research Interests

Body image in general (inc. peer & media influences, effects on eating behaviours, social comparison, body shame, and fitness related behaviours).

Selected Publications

Prichard, I. & Tiggemann, M. (2005). Objectification in fitness centers: Self-objectification, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in aerobic instructors and aerobic participants. Sex Roles, 53, 19-28.

Prichard, I. & Tiggemann, M. (2005). Self-objectification, body image and reasons for exercise. Proceedings of the 40th APS Annual Conference, Melbourne, Australia.

Conference Presentations

Prichard, I. & Tiggemann, M. (September/October, 2005). Self-obectification, body image and reasons for exercise. 40th APS Annual Conference, Melbourne, Australia.

Prichard, I. & Tiggemann, M. (August, 2005). Fitness centers: Do they do more than increase fitness? 3rd Annual ANZ Academy of Eating Disorders Conference, Sydney, Australia.

Prichard, I. & Tiggemann, M. (September/October, 2004). Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in aerobic instructors and aerobic participants. 39th Australian Psychological Society Annual Conference, Sydney, Australia.

Teaching

I am currently employed as 0.5 Associate Lecturer for Psychology 1 A/B (PSYC1101/PSYC1102) and Aspects of Psychology A/B (PSYC1104/PSYC1105).

Contact Details

School of Psychology
Flinders University of South Australia
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide, South Australia 5001

Office: 384 Social Sciences North
Phone: (+61 8) 8201 2449
Fax: (+61 8) 8201 3877
Email: ivanka.prichard@flinders.edu.au