Exercise has long been regarded as beneficial to one’s health and well-being. However, exercising in order to adhere to appearance standards can lead to maladaptive behaviours. Little research has explored the factors of perfectionism and appearance-contingent self-esteem in relation to exercise behaviours. The present study aimed to examine the relationships between appearance-contingent self-esteem with appearance anxiety, controlled exercise motivation and dependency, whilst investigating types of perfectionism as mediators between these relationships. Participants (n = 227; 156 females, 71 males; mean age = 27.33 years) completed an online questionnaire consisting of various scales measuring: the subtypes of perfectionism (socially prescribed, self-oriented and other-oriented), (appearance) contingent self-esteem, appearance anxiety, controlled exercise motivation and exercise dependency. Mediation analysis revealed that individuals with higher levels of appearance-contingent self-esteem are more likely to experience appearance anxieties and controlled exercise motivations when striving to adhere to the social standards of appearance. Furthermore, a multiple regression found that self-oriented perfectionism was significantly associated to exercise dependency, although there was no correlation with appearance-contingent self-esteem present. These findings could be of value to improve elements of prevention and treatment strategies targeting appearance-contingent self-esteem and perfectionism which could mitigate risk for developing appearance anxieties, dependency and feelings of pressure to exercise. Future developments on this study, addressing the limitations discussed, could lead to significant advancements in knowledge of exercise behaviours.
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