Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-857557d7f7-qdphv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-11-21T10:36:46.382Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 27 - Body Esteem Scale-Revised (BES-R)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2025

Virginia Ramseyer Winter
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Tracy L. Tylka
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Antoinette M. Landor
Affiliation:
University of Missouri
Get access

Summary

The 28-item Body Esteem Scale-Revised (BES-R; Frost et al., 2018) is an updated version of the Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, 1984) that assesses satisfaction with the appearance and functionality of 28 specific body areas and aspects of body functionality. Like the original scale, the BES-R conceptualizes body esteem as both gender-specific and multidimensional, with three distinct dimensions for women (i.e., sexual attractiveness, weight concern, physical condition) and three distinct dimensions for men (i.e., sexual attractiveness, upper body strength, physical condition). The BES-R can be administered online or in-person to adolescents and adults and is free to use. Women and men complete the same 28 items. This chapter first discusses the development of the BES-R and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. Principal components analyses upheld the three dimensions of body esteem for men and the three dimensions of body esteem for women. Internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity support the use of the BES-R. This chapter provides the BES-R scale items, instructions for administering the measure to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and citation information, are also provided for readers.

Information

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Franzoi, S. L. (1994). Further evidence of the reliability and validity of the Body Esteem Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50, 237239. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(199403)50:2%3C237::aid-jclp2270500214%3E3.0.co;2-p.3.0.CO;2-P>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Franzoi, S. L., & Chang, Z. (2002). The body esteem of Hmong and Caucasian young adults. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 8991. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.00046.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franzoi, S.L., & Herzog, W. (1986). The Body Esteem Scale: A convergent and discriminant validity study. Journal of Personality Assessment, 50, 2431. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5001_4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franzoi, S. L., & Klaiber, J. R. (2007). Body use and reference group impact. Sex Roles, 55, 205214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9162-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franzoi, S. L., & Shields, S. A. (1984). The Body Esteem Scale: Multidimensional structure and sex differences in a college population. Journal of Personality Assessment, 48, 173178. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4802_12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franzoi, S. L., Vasquez, K., Sparapani, E., Frost, K., Martin, J., & Aebly, M. (2012). Exploring body comparison tendencies: Women are self-critical whereas men are self-hopeful. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36, 99109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684311427028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frost, K. A., Franzoi, S. L., Oswald, D. L., & Shields, S. A. (2018). Revising the Body Esteem Scale with a U.S. college student sample: Evaluation, validation, and uses for the BES-R. Sex Roles, 117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0776-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frost, K. A. (2013). Revising the Body Esteem Scale for the next quarter century. Doctoral Dissertation, Marquette University, Wisconsin. www.proquest.com/docview/1356843456?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses.Google Scholar
Jorquera, M., Baños, R., Perpiñá, C., & Botella, C. (2005). The Body Esteem Scale (BES): Validation in a Spanish sample. Revista de Psicopatologla y Psicolog a Clínica, 10, 173192.Google Scholar
Oswald, D. L., Franzoi, S. L., & Frost, K. A. (2012). Experiencing sexism and young women’s body esteem. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31, 11121137. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2012.31.10.1112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Secord, P. F., & Jourard, S. M. (1953). The appraisal of body-cathexis: Body-cathexis and the self. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 17, 343347. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0060689.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swami, V., & Barron, D. (2019). Translation and validation of body image instruments: Challenges, good practice guidelines, and reporting recommendations for test adaptation. Body Image, 31, 204220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.08.014.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swami, V., Stieger, S., Haubner, T., & Voracek, M. (2008). German translation and psychometric evaluation of the Body Appreciation Scale. Body Image, 5, 122127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.10.002.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swami, V., Todd, J., & Barron, D. (2021). Translation and validation of body image instruments: An addendum to Swami and Barron (2019) in the form of frequently asked questions. Body Image, 37, 214224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.03.002.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 A

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

The PDF of this book conforms to version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring core accessibility principles are addressed and meets the basic (A) level of WCAG compliance, addressing essential accessibility barriers.

Content Navigation

Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.

Reading Order & Textual Equivalents

Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.

Visual Accessibility

Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.

Structural and Technical Features

ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×