Sociocultural Pressure and Body Image: A Systematic Literature Review

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18194917

Saumya Singh¹ and Vivek Kumar Shahi² (Department of Psychology, D.D.U Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh¹ and Department of Psychology, Digvijai Nath P.G. College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh²)

The impact of sociocultural pressures, including the omnipresence of media, friendships, family pressures, and the established cultural values, is a key factor in shaping body image perceptions of individuals. The systematic literature review aims to summarize and critically analyze available literature on the relationship between sociocultural pressure & body image. The review aims at establishing the common patterns, outlining the gaps in the existing body of research, and commenting on how the findings can be applied to further research programs. A systematic search based on the highly regarded databases like PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted. The search strategy included articles published in the period between 2010 and 2025 (March) and met preset inclusion and exclusion criteria. Selection criteria were based on studies that focused on the effects of media exposure, peer and cultural norms on body image in different age groups and cultural settings. Finally, 25 studies were included in the study. The results indicate that body dissatisfaction is mostly a result of sociocultural pressures. Media exposure to idealized body types, common comparisons with peers and internalized cultural ideals of beauty always turned out to be salient predictors of negative body image. Sociocultural pressures greatly affect body image in all age categories, gender, and cultural backgrounds. The study of the protective factors that can mitigate the negative effects of the sociocultural pressures should be further researched.