Clothing interests, body satisfaction, and eating behavior of adolescent females: related or independent dimensions?

Adolescents' clothing interests, body satisfaction, and eating behaviors were examined for conceptual dimensions and possible interrelationships. Generation of hypotheses was the goal of this exploratory research. Instruments measuring adolescents' dress concerns, body satisfaction, and eating behaviors were administered to 751 females. Principal component analysis was used to identify five clothing dimensions (experimentation, self-enhancement, conformity, economics and practicality, and modesty), two body satisfaction dimensions (face and extremities, midsection and weight), and two eating dimensions (drive for thinness and binging). Items measuring clothing interests, body satisfaction, and eating behaviors were conceptually independent; clothing factors showed little or no correlation with either body satisfaction or eating factors. Hypotheses were generated related to concepts identified in the factors.