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Cited by 48Eating Disorders and BehaviorsRacial and Ethnic Identity ResearchBody Image and Dysmorphia Studies

Toward an Understanding of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Body Image among Women

Winter, Virginia Ramseyer, Danforth, Laura King, Landor, Antoinette, Pevehouse-Pfeiffer, Danielle·2019·Social Work Research
DOI 10.1093/swr/svy033
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Abstract

Body appreciation is associated with health outcomes and affects individuals across their life span, making this area of inquiry particularly relevant to social workers. Race and ethnicity have not been explored thoroughly as demographic characteristics that influence body appreciation. This study aimed to fill this gap by answering the following research questions: (a) How do favorite and least favorite body parts vary by race and ethnicity and (b) how do body appreciation, skin tone satisfaction, body size, and weight perception vary by race and ethnicity? Using Reddit, we recruited 18- through 56-year-old (N = 497) women who identified as African American, white, Asian, Hispanic/Latina, or more than one of these (multiracial). Results suggest that abs and stomach were the least favorite body parts/features across races and ethnicities, with differences in favorite body parts/features among women of color and white women. In addition, African American women reported highest body appreciation whereas white women reported the lowest. Latina women reported highest skin tone satisfaction, with multiracial women reporting the lowest. This study suggests that women of color’s body appreciation goes beyond the traditional comparison with the white ideal and further body image research should look outside this myopic duality.

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  • Girls and Women of Color in the U.S. may still feel pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty ideals, potentially experiencing dissatisfaction with weight in addition to other, culturally specific appearance concerns, such as dissatisfaction with facial features or skin tone.

    “However, Girls and Women of Color in the U.S. may still feel pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty ideals, potentially experiencing dissatisfaction with weight in addition to other, culturally specific appearance concerns, such as dissatisfaction with facial features or skin tone (Lowy et al., 2021; Wilfred & Lundgren, 2021; Winter et al., 2019).”

    From The Perfect Storm: A Developmental-Sociocultural Framework for the Role of Social Media in Adolescent Girls' Body Image Concerns and Mental Health. (2022) · cites this paper as Winter et al., 2019

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Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Abrams, K. K., Allen, L. R., & Gray, J. J. (1993). Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, psychological adjust- ment, and ethnic identity: A comparison of black and white female college students. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 14, 49-57.
  2. Altabe, M. (1998). Ethnicity and body image: Quantitative and qualitative analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23, 153-159.
  3. Byrd, A. D., & Solomon, A. (Eds.). (2005). Naked: Black women bare all about their skin, hair, hips, lips, and other parts. New York: Penguin.
  4. Haudek, C., Rorty, M., & Henker, B. (1999). The role of ethnicity and parental bonding in the eating and weight concerns of Asian-American and Caucasian college women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 25, 425-433.
  5. Kawamura, K. Y. (2011). Asian-American body image. In T. F. Cash & L. M. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: A hand- book of science, practice, and prevention (pp. 227-237). New York: Guilford Press.
  6. Powell, A. D., & Kahn, A. S. (1995). Racial differences in women's desires to be thin. International Journal of Eat- ing Disorders, 17, 191-195.
  7. Romo, R. (2011). Between black and brown: Blaxican (black-Mexican) multiracial identity in California. Journal of Black Studies, 42, 402-426.
  8. Schooler, D., & Lowry, L. S. (2011). Hispanic/Latino body image. In T. F. Cash & L. M. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of science, practice, and prevention (pp. 237-244). New York: Guilford Press.
  9. Smolak, L., & Cash, T. F. (2011). Future challenges for body image science, practice, and prevention. In T. F. Cash & L. M. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of science, practice, and prevention (pp. 471-478). New York: Guilford Press.
  10. Tiggemann, M. (2011). Sociocultural perspectives on human appearance and body image. In T. F. Cash & L. M. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of science, practice, and prevention (pp. 12-19). New York: Guil- ford Press.

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Authors
Winter, V. R., Danforth, L. K., Landor, A., & Pevehouse-Pfeiffer, D.
ORCID
Venue
Social Work Research
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2019-01-08
Volume
43
Issue
2
Pages
69-80
ISSN
  • 1070-5309 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-6838
DOI
10.1093/swr/svy033
OpenAlex
W2910426319
Cited by
48
References
68
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2
FWCI
5.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
Locations
Social Work Research (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
Keywords
body image, body appreciation, racial and ethnic differences, women of color, body size perception, weight perception, Hispanic women, African American women

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