Are There Ethnic Differences in Positive Body Image Among Female British Undergraduates?

The prevailing view in popular culture and the psychological literature is that White women have greater body dissatisfaction than women of color. In this meta-analysis, 6 main effect sizes were obtained for differences among Asian American, Black, Hispanic, and White women with a sample of 98 studies, yielding 222 effect sizes. The average d for the White-Black comparison was 0.29, indicating that White women are more dissatisfied, but the difference is small. All other comparisons were smaller, and many were close to zero. The findings directly challenge the belief that there are large differences in dissatisfaction between White and all non-White women and suggest that body dissatisfaction may not be the golden girl problem promoted in the literature. Implications for theory and treatment are discussed. Copyright (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

To compare the self-perception of overweight in the study population according to sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status and to compare the self-perception of overweight among individuals classified as normal weight, overweight, and obese. Data from 5440 adults who participated in the 1994 to 1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were analyzed. Data for analysis included self-perceived weight status, self-reported weight and height, and demographic and socioeconomic data. Underweight individuals, defined as those with a body mass index <18.5 kg/m2, were excluded from the analysis. Self-perception of overweight was more common in women compared with men and in whites compared with blacks or Hispanics. Both the correct and incorrect perception of overweight was more common in normal weight and overweight white women compared with black women. More overweight and obese white men correctly perceived their overweight status compared with black men. Multiple logistic regression showed that the odds ratio of perceived overweight was significantly higher in women, whites, and individuals with higher body mass index, higher income, and higher education. Self-perceived overweight varied by sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Erroneous perception of body weight may have important health and behavioral implications. In particular, a considerable proportion of overweight men may be at risk of obesity if they continue to perceive themselves as having normal weight.

This meta-analysis involved 35 studies examining eating disturbance and body dissatisfaction in white and non-white populations and the role of acculturation in the development of eating-related psychopathology. While the role of acculturation in predisposing non-whites to eating disorders remains to be determined, mean effect sizes indicate that whites report more eating disturbance than non-whites. Differences are greatest when studies compare black and white college samples on measures of subclinical eating pathology, like dietary restraint, ideal body shape, and body dissatisfaction. They are weakest when non-clinic populations and clinical forms of eating disturbance, like bulimia nervosa, are examined. These findings suggest that the current literature may be incorrect in its view that subclinical and clinical forms of eating disturbance represent the poles of a single continuum. In addition, they call into question the belief that SES influences the development of eating pathology.