Sociocultural context of women's body image
Introduction
Women's health involves their emotional, social, cultural, spiritual, and physical well-being. It is determined not only by biology, but also by the social, political, and economic context of their lives (Affenito & Kerstetter, 1999, p. 85)
One area in which this quote rings clear is women and body image. Current acceptable norms for women's bodies value thinness, which project attributes such as beauty, cleanliness, success, physical fitness and health (Brownell, 1991). Surveys show that many women, regardless of their age or weight, are dissatisfied with their bodies (Allaz, Berstein, Rouget, Arch, & Morabia, 1998; Garner, 1997; Guyon, 1996). Parallel to this increase in body dissatisfaction, there is a rise in obesity rates and associated health risks such as type 2 diabetes (Mokdad et al., 2001). While the increase in both these trends may seem paradoxical, authors have suggested that our current sociocultural environment is particularly harmful in the area of food and weight and contributes to both obesity and body dissatisfaction by conveying contradictory messages, on the one hand valuing thinness, and on the other, the over consumption of food (Battle & Brownell, 1996; Irving & Neumark-Sztainer, 2002).
Body image literature suggests that the sociocultural environment may contribute to the development and maintenance of body dissatisfaction by the transmission of norms of thinness through the mass media, specifically advertising by the fashion, beauty and cosmetic industries who stand to gain from women's body dissatisfaction (Thompson & Heinberg, 1999).
The most disturbing aspect of body discontent is its impact on women's emotional and physical health. The strong cultural value placed on thinness, especially for women, unfortunately may take precedence over health. While body image discontent can lead normal weight people to diet (Allaz et al., 1998; Guyon, 1996; Wardle & Johnson, 2002), it is also associated with unhealthy weight loss practices (Battle & Brownell, 1996), restrained eating (Paa & Larson, 1998), eating disorders (Thompson, Heinberg, Altabe, & Tantleff-Dunn, 1998), depression (Perlick & Silverstein, 1994; Pinhas, Toner, Ali, Garfinkel, & Stuckless, 1999; Wiederman & Hurst, 1998), and poor self-esteem (Tiggeman & Stevens, 1999).
To effectively address the personal, social and public health impact of women's body image dissatisfaction requires an understanding of the multiple contexts of women's lives that influence women's body image development. Only a limited amount of the previous research on the matter has examined body image issues in adult women, suggesting the need for exploration of this little understood phenomenon. Studies have yet to explore body image from women's perspectives, through their life experiences, as expressed in their voices. The purpose of this research was to explore, describe and understand the ways in which adult women interpret, integrate and resist the sociocultural environment in the formation of body image, as well as their awareness of, and perspectives on this process.
Section snippets
Research design and methods
This study was a naturalistic inquiry (Marshall & Rossman, 1995), as we sought to understand women's perspectives by listening to their descriptions of personal experiences. We assumed that women's perspectives on body image are embedded within the sociocultural environment, and that separating experiences from their natural context would be artificial (Wolszon, 1998). As women researchers, we also acknowledge that our interpretations are made within the context of our experiences within the
Findings and discussion
Women's narratives revealed that body image is not a static construct, but has multiple elements, is dynamic and fluctuating. While body image appears to be embedded in women's experiences and perceptions of those experiences, it varies as women encounter or create new experiences, or re-interpret old ones. Changes can be fleeting or have more significant and lasting effects resulting from the cumulative learning of many experiences. The following quote illustrates how body image can be complex
Conclusion
Through the experiences of 44 adult women, this research elucidated the ways in which women interpret, integrate and resist the sociocultural environment in the formation of body image. From the perspectives of these women, body image is not a static construct, but has multiple elements, is dynamic and fluctuating. This “fluid” representation of body image appears to be embedded in women's experiences and perceptions of those experiences. Women's narratives revealed several common themes
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