Feminism and Body Image

Via Kay Steiger, "The influence of feminist ascription on judgements of women's physical attractiveness" by Viren Swamia, Natalie Salemb, Adrian Furnhamb and Martin J. Tovéec:

The present study examined the effect of feminist ascription on perceptions of the physical attractiveness of women ranging in body mass index (BMI). One-hundred and twenty-nine women who self-identified as feminists and 132 who self-identified as non-feminists rated a series of 10 images of women that varied in BMI from emaciated to obese. Results showed no significant differences between feminist and non-feminists in the figure they considered to be maximally attractive. However, feminists were more likely to positively perceive a wider range of body sizes than non-feminists. These results are discussed in relation to possible protective factors against the internalisation of the thin ideal and body objectification.

I suppose that's about what I would have expected -- ideological commitment has a real, but circumscribed, impact on perception.