The existing psychological literature on African American women's body image has tended to purport that this population is protected from body dissatisfaction and negative self-appraisals due to cultural acceptance of larger body sizes and a lessened preoccupation with the thin ideal. Though a thin ideal may not be central, there is ample sociocultural and historical support for the idea that skin tone and color, hair length and texture, and facial features represent appearance characteristics that are salient to the body image of Black women. When these characteristics are considered, a very different picture of Black women's body image begins to appear.
The purpose of this study was to explore how African American women think and feel about their bodies. Specifically, this study examined how Black women define beauty by means of variables such as body shape, skin complexion, and hair texture; whether African American women ages 18-30 compared themselves to media images; and if so, did comparison to these media images impact African American women's body satisfaction. In addition, this study explored if African American women felt pressure to adopt beauty standards attributed to the dominant culture, as well as the role of racial identity in forming beauty standards and social comparison behavior. Twelve African American women were interviewed and findings of this exploratory research illustrated that the Black community has different standards than the traditional beauty standards of the U.S. Even though interviewees articulated standards of beauty for women in the Black community, there was a lack of uniformity in how these women felt about their own attractiveness: some identified with the Black beauty standards, while others did not. In addition, opinions varied regarding Black women's engagement in social comparison behavior and whether it was related to racial identity or body satisfaction. Limitations of study included: how Black women define social comparison behavior and racial identity, self-identification of participants, and the lack of Caucasian women included in this study. However, this research still provided rich data exploring Black women's perceptions of beauty among other issues within the Black community. Future research is required to better understand influences shaping standards of beauty within this subculture of the United States and recommendations are provided in the last chapter.
Recent empirical studies have examined sociocultural factors that affec women's development of body dissatisfaction including the roles of media, peer influence, and racial/cultural standards. This study examines the influence of racial socialization, mass media, and peers in influencing African American and white women's body dissatisfaction. Specifically, focus groups are used from a sample of 25 African American and white college students between the ages of 18 and 22. This study draws on a social comparison theoretical framework which argues that individuals evaluate their self-concept based on their ideas, values, and attitudes similar to them. This study finds that African American women are vulnerable to white standards of beauty. However, they are more resilient to these standards because of how they are racially socialized. Further, white women are more susceptible to conform to normative ideals of beauty that equate beauty with thinness. .
Should African Americans be construed as a race or as an ethnic group? If African Americans are defined as an ethnic group, what role does culture play in their lives and how can we measure their culture? This groundbreaking volume argues that we should reject the concept of race and define African Americans as a cultural group. It presents the first scale ever devised for measuring acculturation among African Americans, along with powerful studies that empirically explore the role of culture and acculturation in African American behavior, health, and psychology. Among the authors' findings are how acculturation predicts symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, and physical problems, such as hypertension.
Despite all the medical and media attention focused on the rate of overweight and obesity in the African American population, African American images and body types are greatly influencing changes in the fashion, fitness, advertising, television and movie industries. This is because overweight, like beauty, can be in the eye of the beholder. Most research studies investigating attitudes about body image and body type among African Americans have shown they are more satisfied with their bodies than are their white counterparts and that there appears to be a wider range of acceptable body shapes and weights, and a more flexible standard of attractiveness, among black Americans as compared to whites. That fact is not being lost on leaders of industries that might profit from understanding this wider range of beauty, as well as playing to it. In this book, medical anthropologist Eric Bailey introduces and explains the self-acceptance and body image satisfaction of African Americans, and traces how that has spurred changes in industry. His book fills the void of scientific evidence to enhance the understanding of African Americans' perceptions related to body image and beauty—and is the first to document these issues from the perspective of an African American male. Despite all the medical and media attention focused on the rate of overweight and obesity in the African American population, African American images and body types are greatly influencing changes in the fashion, fitness, advertising, television, and movie industries. This is because overweight, like beauty, can be in the eye of the beholder. Most research studies investigating attitudes about body image and body type among African Americans have shown they are more satisfied with their bodies than are their white counterparts. Most black women, for example, are of course concerned with how they look, but do not judge themselves in terms of their weight and do not believe they are valued mostly on the basis of their bodies. Black teen girls most often say being thick and curvaceous with large hips and ample thighs is seen as the most desirable body shape. Thus, there appears to be a wider range of acceptable body shapes and weights, and a more flexible standard of attractiveness, among black Americans as compared to whites. That fact is not lost on leaders of industries that might profit from understanding this wider range of beauty, as well as playing to it. Voluptuous supermodel Tyra Banks is just one African American who's broken the mold in that industry. The effects have been seen right down to department and local clothes stores, where lines of larger and plus-size fashions are expanding, becoming more colorful and more ornate. In the fitness industry, health gurus Madonna Grimes and Billy Blanks have been revolutionizing how people get fit and how fitness needs to be redeveloped for the African American population. Advertising has taken a similar turn, not the least manifestation of which were the major campaigns Dove and Nike ran in 2005 with plus-sized actresses (who continue to appear in promotions for both companies). In movies and on television shows, the African American beautiful body image has followed suit. In this book, medical anthropologist Eric Bailey introduces and explains the self-acceptance and body image satisfaction of African Americans, and traces how that has spurred changes in industry. His book fills the void of scientific evidence to enhance the understanding of African Americans' perceptions related to body image and beauty—and is the first to document these issues from the perspective of an African American male.
"Race/Gender/Media" contains 43 readings that help readers to think critically about issues of race and gender in the media. The readings address a multitude of topics in three major sections-Production, Content, and Audience-and approach the matter of race and gender in the media from rhetorical, social scientific, and critical/cultural perspectives. The author places a strong emphasis on introducing the material in the book and orienting the reader to the content through overviews, context-specific introductions, and descriptions of each reading.
Multicultural aspects of psychology have received some attention in the literature in the last decade. A number of texts currently address these significant concerns, for example, Counseling the Culturally Different (Sue & Sue, 2008); Handbook of Multicultural Counseling ( Poterotto et l., 2009); and Handbook of Multicultural Counseling Competencies (Pope-Davis & Coleman, 2005). In their most recent editions, several of these books address more nuanced complexities of diversity, for example, the intersections of gender or social class with race-ethnicity. Meanwhile, other texts have addressed gender issues in psychology (Handbook of Counseling Women, Counseling Men), with some attention paid to racial-ethnic and other diversity concerns. Clearly the progression of scholarship in this field reflects the importance of incorporating multiple aspects of diversity within psychology. However, no book currently exists that fully addresses the complexities of race-ethnicity and gender together. Better understanding of the dual impact of race-ethnicity and gender on psychological functioning may lead to more effective conceptualizations of a number of mental health issues, such as domestic violence, addictions, health-related behaviors and achievement. Exploring the impact of race-ethnicity and gender also may provide a broader understanding of self-in-community, as this affects individuals, families and other social groups and work and career development. Topics of interest may include identity development, worldviews and belief systems, parenting styles, interventions for promoting resilience and persistence and strategies for enhancing more accurate diagnostic and treatment modalities. Today’s world is comprised of multiple and intersecting communities that remain in need of psychological models and interventions that support and promote both individual and collective mental health. We believe that utilizing unidimensional conceptual models (e.g. focusing solely on race-ethnicity or gender) no longer adequately addresses psychological concerns that are dynamic, complex and multi-faceted. The proposed Handbook will focus on timely topics which historically have been under-addressed for a number of diverse populations.
Discussion. The current study supports the existing literature suggesting that African American women experience less body dissatisfaction than Caucasian women even following exposure to an ethnically-similar thin model. Additionally, this study demonstrated that women exposed to plus size model conditions experienced greater body dissatisfaction than those shown thin models.
In 1920 W.E.B. Du Bois cited the damnation of women as linked to the devaluation of motherhood. This dilemma, he argues, had a crushing blow on Black women as they were forced into slavery. Black womanhood, portrayed as hypersexual by nature, became an enduring stereotype which did not coincide with the dignity of mother and wife. This portrayal continues to reinforce negative stereotypes of Black women in the media today. This book highlights how Black women have been negatively portrayed in the media, focusing on the export nature of media and its ability to convey notions of Blackness to the public. It argues that media such as rap music videos, television dramas, reality television shows, and newscasts create and affect expectations of Black women. Exploring the role that racism, misogyny and media play in the representation of Black womanhood, it provides a foundation for challenging contemporary media’s portrayal of Black women.
