The Effects of Avatar Customization on Body Image

Abstract

The use of avatars has become prevalent through mobile and virtual reality applications, which grow daily. This study explored whether avatar customization influences body image and whether creating a self-resembling avatar, as opposed to a random celebrity avatar, increases body satisfaction. In a mixed design, 36 participants, aged 16 to 30, were randomly assigned to customize either a self-resembling (n = 18, 72% women) or a celebrity avatar (n = 18, 61% women). Participants completed a body image satisfaction questionnaire before and after creating their assigned avatar. Although we hypothesized that creating a self-resembling avatar would have a more positive effect on body image than creating a celebrity avatar, the results of the ANCOVA with pre-test body satisfaction as a covariate, indicated that avatar customization had no significant effect on body satisfaction. Our findings demonstrate that continued avatar use is not only viable, given the lack of negative effect on body image, but also sustainable in the growing media world.