INFLUENCE OF MAKE-UP USE ON BODY IMAGE AND SELF-ESTEEM AMONG FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN NIGERIA'S PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE

Abstract

The societal emphasis placed on make-up use has intensified to the extent that women who do not use cosmetics are often perceived as unfashionable, socially uninformed, or lacking professionalism. This prevailing norm has begun to exert considerable pressure on many women, who are increasingly viewed as ordinary or unprofessional in the absence of make-up. Consequently, there is a growing compulsion among female undergraduates to acquire make-up skills and incorporate cosmetics into their daily presentation. This study examined the influence of makeup use on body image and self-esteem among female university students in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study was motivated by the limited empirical evidence on the psychological implications of routine makeup use among Nigerian female undergraduates despite its widespread acceptance as an appearance-enhancement practice. Two research questions and two corresponding null hypotheses guided the study. A correlational survey research design was adopted. The target population comprised 28,240 female undergraduate students enrolled in the University of Port Harcourt and Rivers State University. A sample of 400 respondents was selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using an adapted Makeup Use Scale, the Appearance Evaluation subscale of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The instruments yielded Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.84, 0.87, and 0.81, respectively. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and simple linear regression, while the null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that makeup use significantly influenced body image (R = .815, R² = .665, F(1,398) = 789.617, p < .001) and self-esteem (R = .600, R² = .360, F(1,398) = 223.490, p < .001) among female university students. The study concluded that makeup use is an important appearance-management behaviour associated with positive body image and self-esteem. It recommended that university counselling units promote healthy appearance-management practices and implement programmes that foster positive body image and self-esteem among female students.