Beauty and Body Image Concerns Among African American College Women

TLDR

Recent research has begun to include ethnic minority samples in body image studies, yet few focus on the unique beauty and body image concerns of African American college‑age women. The study examined body image concerns among African American college‑age women. Thirty‑one African American women participated in five campus focus groups, and the data were analyzed thematically to identify key themes. The analysis revealed themes around hair, skin tone, body type, and media messages—including sacrifice, racial microaggressions, validation, the idealization of thick/curvy bodies, hypersexualization, and the notion that thinness is a White standard—suggesting a reconceptualization of body image that foregrounds hair and skin tone over traditional concerns.

Abstract

The current study examined body image concerns among African American women. In recent years, there has been an attempt to include ethnic minority samples in body image studies, but few specifically examine unique issues pertaining to beauty and body image for African American college-age women. A total of 31 African American women participated in one of five focus groups on the campus of a large Southwestern University to examine beauty and body image. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach and several themes were identified. The majority of themes pertained to issues related to hair, skin tone, body type, and message sources. Themes included sacrifice, ignorance/racial microaggressions, validation and invalidation by others, thick/toned/curvy as optimal, hypersexualization, and being thin is for White women. Findings of the current study suggest a reconceptualization of body image for African American women where relevant characteristics such as hair and skin tone are given more priority over traditional body image concerns often associated with European American women.