Asian Body Image Satisfaction: Ethnic and Gender Differences across Chinese, Indo-Asian, and European-Descent Students

TLDR

This study compares body image satisfaction among Chinese, Indo‑Asian, and European‑descent university students to examine ethnocultural differences. The study surveyed 1,471 Canadian undergraduates using self‑report body image questionnaires. Chinese participants reported the lowest body satisfaction, followed by Indo‑Asian participants, with European‑descent participants reporting the highest, and women scored lower than men across all groups while all participants expressed a desire to be thinner, indicating significant intra‑Asian differences that preclude generalization.

Abstract

This study extends previous research on ethnocultural differences in body image satisfaction by comparing two distinct Asian groups with a European descent group (N = 1471). Canadian undergraduates completed self-report body image measures. Participants descended from China reported the lowest levels of body satisfaction. Body satisfaction of participants descended from Indo-Asia was the next lowest, significantly lower than their European descent counterparts. The body satisfaction of women was lower than that of men across all groups and all participants expressed a desire to be thinner. The results suggest that one cannot generalize across Asian populations, as there may be significant differences between various ethnic minority groups.