Abstract:
Body image concerns have been a worldwide issue in females and recently there
is rising literature on male body dissatisfaction and self-objectification. The present
study used a quantitative method to explore the possible mediator role of self esteem and ethnic identity in the relationship between self-objectification and
muscle dysmorphia. A purposive sample (N = 348) of male undergraduates at the
University of Limpopo was used and data was collected using a structured and
composite questionnaire within a correlation research design. Correlation analysis
found a statistically significant relationship between self-objectification and muscle
dysmorphia (p < .05), but there was no relationship between ethnic identification
and muscle dysmorphia (p >. 05). Mediational analysis showed that self-esteem
does mediate the association between self-objectification and muscle dysmorphia
