Internalized Media-Promoted Body Ideals Only Marginally Moderate the Effects of Exercise on Self-Esteem, Body Image Satisfaction, and Physical Self-Perceptions.

: To examine the moderating effect of internalized media messages on ideal body shape and lifestyle in the relationships between physical exercise, self-esteem, physical self-perceptions, and body image satisfaction. : pre-test/posttest control group experimental design. : 46 inactive women (mean age = 21.4 ± 2.1 years-old) volunteered to participate in this study and were randomly assigned to Exercise (n = 23) or Wait-list (n = 23) groups. The Exercise group participated in two 50 minutes long exercise sessions per week for six weeks. During this period women in the Wait-list group did not participate in any regular physical activity. The French version of the Physical Self-Perception Profile (ISP-25) and the Body Image Assessment Scale (BIAS-BD) were administered to participants before and after intervention. In addition, the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ) was completed to assess participants' level of internalization of media standards. : Women in the Exercise group improved more in outcomes than those in the Wait-list group. Effects were only marginally moderated by levels of media internalization. Potential explanations for these findings are reviewed and discussed.