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

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.