People from different cultures show similarities and differences in how body appreciation, sociocultural pressure, and internalization of thin ideals vary, according to a study published July 31, 2024 in the open-access journal PLUS ONE by Louise Hanson of Durham University, UK, and colleagues.
Body image is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that encompasses how we think, behave, and feel about our bodies. To date, most body image research has focused on young, white, Western women, and has focused on negative rather than positive body image.
In contrast, Hanson and colleagues examined body appreciation, which encompassed positive thoughts and feelings about one’s body. They also included participants not only from Western countries (i.e., Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States of America), but also from China and Nigeria. A final sample of 1,186 women completed the questionnaires and was included in the analysis.
The results revealed no significant differences in body satisfaction between women of different ages, but there was significant variation across cultures. Black Nigerian women showed the highest body appreciation, followed by East Asian Chinese women, and white Western women showed the lowest body appreciation. The findings suggest that ethnicity and culture are important influences on body appreciation and may act as protective factors that promote a positive body image.
High internalization of the thin ideal and high perceived appearance pressure from family, peers, and the media were associated with lower body appreciation. Internalization varied by age across cultures: older white Western women and black Nigerian women reported lower internalization of the thin ideal than younger women, but Chinese women experienced the same internalization of the thin ideal across the lifespan.
For women across all cultures, older women reported less perceived sociocultural pressure than younger women. White Western women perceived more media pressure than Nigerian and Black Chinese women, but Chinese women reported more peer pressure. Results also showed that Black Nigerian women reported less sociocultural pressure overall, and Chinese women reported more pressure.
The authors suggest that future studies should include more women from older age groups to obtain a fully representative picture of women’s body appreciation across the lifespan. In addition, further development of measurement tools is needed for future research in cross-cultural contexts. According to the authors, the results of the current study could be used to target positive body image interventions to each culture. Further research may be required to develop effective interventions for each group.
The authors add: “We found that body appreciation remains relatively stable across ages and that sociocultural pressure is evident across cultures. However, the degree to which this pressure is experienced and where it comes from differs across cultures.”