Our ‘Spotlight On’ series showcases the world-leading work of our academics. Professor Lynda Boothroyd is a cross-cultural psychologist who explores how appearance ideals form and why they matter.
Lynda's work demonstrates how media exposure reshapes beauty ideals and why improving media literacy is vital to promoting healthier attitudes.
Watch our video with Lynda, and read more about her career and research below.
Lynda’s research career began by looking at an influential theory about attraction which suggested women preferred masculine faces because they indicated good health.
Her work showed otherwise, showing that there was no good evidence that masculine men have better health, nor that that factors into women’s preferences.
The findings overturned long-held assumptions and opened new avenues for research on facial attractiveness.
For Lynda, the early experience of challenging established ideas showed a commitment to gathering clear evidence, even when it disrupted established views.
A major theme in Lynda’s work is the powerful impact of visual media, such as television, on body ideals.
She has repeatedly shown that simply seeing many thin bodies in visual media increases a person’s preference for thinness.
The finding is robust across cultures, ages and settings – backed by years of international research.
One of the most striking examples of this comes from her longstanding research in Nicaragua. Here Lynda took advantage of a unique natural experiment involving communities with and without television access, allowing her to isolate the effects of media exposure.
The findings were striking. People who watched more television preferred thinner female bodies, regardless of their cultural background.
Those with limited television access had more diverse and locally grounded appearance preferences.
In short – media consumption actively reshapes beauty standards, often towards unhealthy ideals.
For Lynda, documenting the problem created an obligation to try and find solutions.
She is now leading a five-year project developing body image education for teenagers across six countries.
Working with local partners, her team has co-developed culturally appropriate interventions.
The aim is to help young people understand media manipulation, resist unhealthy appearance ideals and build confidence in their own value.
Early results are promising. Pilot studies in Nicaragua and Colombia show increased media literacy in teenagers who have taken part, and reduced acceptance of unrealistic appearance standards.
Interdisciplinary support at Durham has played a key role in Lynda’s work.
Close links between our Psychology and Anthropology departments allow her to explore appearance ideals with unique collaborations.
This interdisciplinary environment proves invaluable for cross-cultural research and is bringing energy and collective momentum to a range of international research.
Looking ahead, Lynda hopes her research will influence educational policies and motivate governments to embed media literacy and body image support into school lessons.
Her goal is clear: to help future generations build healthier relationships with themselves in a world filled with powerful appearance pressures.
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