Despite societal notions
that some cultures are immune to the feelings of negative body image that commonly plague white women, a study by researchers
at the Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) at Temple University has found that overweight or obese children of
diverse backgrounds feel badly about their shapes, despite acceptance from within their own ethnic groups.
Researcher Gary Foster, Ph.D.,
director of the CORE program stated that this dissatisfaction is a consequence of the childhood obesity epidemic. "This unhappiness is yet another consequence of childhood obesity," said Foster in a public statement. "These data illustrate
when treating overweight children, it's important to attend the psychological consequences that excess weight confers, no
matter what the ethnic group." The study examined data gathered from 1,200 Philadelphia fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders from ten
different schools, of various cultural backgrounds. Results indicated that children from all ethnicities experience negative
body image.
These results reveal a complicated
set of dynamics, says Lisa Palmer, LMFT, CHT, clinical director of the Women’s Institute for Sensible Eating (WISE)
at Hollywood Pavilion, an intensive outpatient eating disorder program in Hollywood, FL. "Researchers are becoming more aware
of the multiplicity of socio-cultural concerns, which may impact ethnic populations who suffer from body image disturbances
and eating disorder symptoms,” explains Palmer, currently a Ph.D.candidate. “It's typically thought that ethnicity
can be a protective factor in shielding some women from experiencing body image disturbances.”
Michael Levine, Ph.D., leading
researcher in the field of eating disorders, tells demo dirt that our mainstream
culture is not conducive to meeting developing pubescent bodies with approval. “An essential component of [girls’]
developing bodies is adipose tissue, or ‘fat,’ which is considered, except in the case of breast development,
ugly, unhealthy, and even immoral,” says Levine, a professor of psychology at Ohio’s Kenyon
College. “Ask yourself what type of culture we have constructed wherein most parents or uncles or aunts could not look
directly at an eleven-year-old girl going through puberty and say ‘Honey, you look great, you've put on fat.’”
Therefore, Levine says, “even if peers are supportive and accepting,” there
are too many other social factors negating self-acceptance. “These sources include parents, media, physicians, siblings,
coaches, and even school materials,” explains Levine. “How many sources in the culture do you know that are challenging,
openly, the contention that ‘fat is bad and thin is good’?”
The notion that black and Latina
women are immune from developing eating disorders because their cultures celebrate a relatively fuller figure is a myth, says
Palmer. And while study researcher Foster stated in a press release that "In African-American and
Latino cultures, being lean is not always the ideal," Palmer explains that a larger ideal body shape is no guarantee that
women of color don’t also suffer from disordered eating. “People think eating disorders are all about body
dissatisfaction. That is not the case,” Palmer tells demo dirt.
While the study
focused on overweight or obese children, Body Mass Index (BMI), a tool using height and weight to measure body fat, offers
little prediction of who will feel most dissatisfied with their own bodies. In other words, thinness does not mean that one
will be automatically satisfied with one’s body, says Levine. Other
factors besides size, such as family conflict, self esteem, and one’s relationship to the larger society, may also play
a role in body dissatisfaction. For instance, immigrants, says Palmer, are largely ignored when the issue of body dissatisfaction
is discussed, but some immigrants might experience guilt over their new abundance of food compared to the relatively meager
amount to which their family of origin has access.
“We are learning that
issues such as ‘culture change’ can impact the individual on a deeper contextual and relational level. This pertains
to individuals who migrate to a new country and who may experience pressure to adapt or assimilate to a new culture, and grapple
with conflicted external and internal messages from society and their family," explains Palmer.
In fact, there are countless
factors responsible for the development of eating disorders in various ethnic groups, including those that emerge when members
are confronted with new standards of beauty. According to Palmer’s own doctoral research, as stated in a reply via email,
"Research with Asian women…suggested those living in Western countries are a high risk group for the development of
eating disorder pathology (Wildes, Emery, & Simons, 2001), since they may feel ‘additional pressure to be thin due
to their inability to meet other white beauty standards’ (Wildes et al., 2001, p. 540) like blonde hair, fair skin,
and delicate bone structure (Hall, 1995)."
In fact, the CORE study results validate these
previous findings. The Temple University
research found that children of Asian descent experienced the highest rate of body dissatisfaction. "Culturally
speaking, the ideal body shape is a lean one among Asian children," said Foster publicly.
Palmer cites additional research
which indicates that as rates of acculturation rise, rates of body dissatisfaction among children and adults of various ethnic
backgrounds also increase. This also occurs within the Hispanic community, and other communities with women of color who have
assimilated within the Western or mainstream culture.
Levine's research supports
similar conclusions. In an email to demo dirt the professor, who specializes in
the effects of the mass media on eating disorders, stated that “Bodies of color exhibited in mainstream media are becoming
increasingly thinner (Baker, 2005), so perhaps the ethnic gap…is closing.”
