Racial Identity Differences in Pathways from Sociocultural and Objectification Constructs to Body Satisfaction: The U.S. Body Project I

Authors

David A. Frederick, Chapman UniversityFollow
Lauren M. Schaefer, Sanford Center for Bio-behavioral Research
Vivienne M. Hazzard, Sanford Center for Bio-behavioral Research
Rachel F. Rodgers, Northeastern University
Tracy L. Tylka, The Ohio State University
Lydia Q. Ong, Chapman University
Jamie-Lee Pennesi, San Diego State University
Lexie Convertino, San Diego State University
Michael C. Parent, University of Texas at Austin
Tiffany A. Brown, University of California, San Diego
Emilio J. Compte, Adolfo Ibáñez University
Catherine P. Cook-Cottone, SUNY University at Buffalo
Canice E. Crerand, The Ohio State University
Vanessa L. Malcarne, San Diego State University
Jason M. Nagata, University of California, San Francisco
Marisol Perez, Arizona State University
Eva Pila, Western University
J. Kevin Thompson, University of South Florida
Stuart B. Murray, University of Southern California

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-4-2022

Abstract

Racial minority men and women face a wide variety of appearance-related pressures, including ones connected to their cultural backgrounds and phenotypic features associated with their identity. These body image concerns exist within a larger context, wherein racial minorities face pressures from multiple cultures or subcultures simultaneously to achieve unrealistic appearance ideals. However, limited research has investigated racial differences in the relationships between theorized sociocultural risk factors and body image in large samples. This study tests pathways from an integrated sociocultural model drawing on objectification theory and the tripartite influence model to three key body image outcomes: appearance evaluation, body image quality of life, and face image satisfaction. These pathways were tested using multigroup structural equation modeling in a national sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian men and women (ns = 205–4797 per group). Although many hypothesized associations were similar in strength across groups, race moderated some of the pathways between sociocultural pressures (media, peer, family), internalization of appearance ideals (thin-ideal, muscular/athletic), appearance surveillance, and body image outcomes. Findings support the likely role of both shared and specific risk factors for body image outcomes, suggesting avenues for tailoring adapted interventions in order to target culturally-salient risk factors.

Comments

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Body Image. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Body Image, volume 41, in 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.01.019

The Creative Commons license below applies only to this version of the article.

Recommended Citation

Frederick, D. A., Schaefer, L. M., Hazzard, V. M., Rodgers, R. F., Tylka, T. L., Ong, L. Q., Pennesi, J. L., Convertino, L., Parent, M. C., Brown, T. A., Compte, E. J., Cook-Cottone, C. P., Crerand, C. E., Malcarne, V. L., Nagata, J. M., Perez, M., Pila, E., Kevin Thompson, J., & Murray, S. B. (2022). Racial identity differences in pathways from sociocultural and objectification constructs to body satisfaction: The U.S. Body Project I. Body Image, 41, 140–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.01.019

Copyright

Elsevier

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.