Unpacking beauty norms and body image: Development and validation of the perceptions of beauty standards scale

Abstract

Objectives: Perceptions of beauty, deeply rooted in societal norms, significantly impact self-esteem, self-concept, and mental well-being. This study aimed to develop and validate the Perceptions of Beauty Standards Scale, a tool designed to assess how individuals perceive societal beauty standards. Methods: The Perceptions of Beauty Standards Scale was developed and validated following extensive literature review, expert consultation and survey among 313 adolescents in Kathmandu, Nepal. Items in the scale reflect societal standards of beauty, focusing on physical attributes such as weight, skin color, and body imperfections. Results: Content validity was established with a scale-level content validity index of 0.95 and an item-level content validity index above 0.83 for all items. The initial 10-item Perceptions of Beauty Standards Scale underwent exploratory factor analysis, which revealed two factors: “Beauty Perceptions” (38.67% variance explained) and “Acceptance of Beauty Diversity” (10.47% variance explained). However, two items exhibited instability in factor loadings and item-total correlations, prompting their removal from the scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed for the Perceptions of Beauty Standards Scale-10 two-factor model, the single-factor model, and the revised 8-item version (Perceptions of Beauty Standards Scale-8). Confirmatory factor analysis results confirmed that the Perceptions of Beauty Standards Scale-8 exhibited a good fit (CMIN/DF = 2.30, TLI = 0.947, SRMR = 0.040, RMSEA = 0.061), demonstrating strong construct validity. Conclusion: The scale showed good psychometric properties, including content validity, construct validity, and reliability. The Perceptions of Beauty Standards Scale-8 offers a robust measure of societal beauty perceptions, providing valuable insights into body image and mental health, particularly in environments where societal beauty standards strongly influence self-esteem.