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A mixed experimental design examines how adding disclaimers to digitally enhanced media images depicting the thin-ideal effects female college students’ self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and thin-ideal internalisation; which were measured pre and post exposure. Effects were examined in 81 female undergraduate students who were exposed to thin-ideal images with or without a disclaimer. Consistent with the sociocultural model, exposure to the thin-ideal resulted in decreased self-esteem and increased thin-ideal internalisation and body dissatisfaction. Exposure to the disclaimer condition increased participants’ self-esteem and decreased body dissatisfaction; a statistically significant decrease in thin-ideal internalisation was not observed. Results provide empirical evidence supporting the introduction of disclaimers to digitally edited thin-idea media images as a preventative measure against the negative effects of exposure to the thin-ideal.
