Body Image, self-esteem, and clothing of men and women aged 55 years and older

Although there are many studies regarding body image of younger people, there have been few studies on that of older people. Since today's culture considers the young, thin body image ideal, it is important to investigate body image of older people and the relationships between their body image, self esteem, and clothing behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between 1) body-cathexis and self-esteem, 2) body-cathexis and clothing behavior, 3) self-esteem and clothing behavior, 4) body cathexis and demographics, and 5) demographics and clothing behavior of selected men and women aged 55 years and older.

Data were obtained from 67 men and 75 women aged 55 years and older who were members of senior centers and local churches located in Atlanta, Georgia. The questionnaire regarding body cathexis, self-esteem, clothing behavior, and demographics was administered through a mail survey. Body cathexis consisted c: five areas of body parts. A modification of Rosenberg's self-esteem scale was used with a 4-point Likert scale. The clothing behavior variable had seven dimensions.