Body Shape-Status Inference

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring the degree to which an individual believes that body shape (height-weight ratio) is a reliable and effective signal of socioeconomic status. Items assess beliefs about the status advantages of tall and thin physiques, the perceived link between upper-class membership and body morphology, and the legitimacy of inferring social class from body shape. Developed in research on how shape-based status cues transfer to package and product evaluations.

Representative items

• Compared to short and heavy people, tall and thin people usually possess a higher socioeconomic status.
• It is effective to infer the socioeconomic status of others based on their body shape.

Citation

Chen, Juan, Jun Pang, Minkyung Koo, and Vanessa M. Patrick (2020). Shape matters: Package shape informs brand status categorization and brand choice. Journal of Retailing, 96(2), 266–281.