African-American males prefer a larger female body silhouette than do whites

Rosen, Ellen F.; Iii, Adolph Brown; Braden, Jennifer Brennan; Dorsett, Herman W.; Franklin, Dawna N.; Garlington, Ronald A.; Kent, Valerie E.; Lewis, Tonya T.; Petty, Linda C.

doi:10.3758/bf03337366

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In terms of men's preference for female figures, the finding of no race differences in ratings for most attractive female silhouette is consistent with that of some other investigators (1,28) but not others (30). The inconsistency in findings could be the result of methodological differences.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Even with higher weight levels, black women report more positive feelings toward their bodies and less concern with bodyweight ( I6, 18,19,31,37,42) and endorse a larger body ideal than do their white counterparts (20,28,29,3 1,33). Additionally, black men may be more accepting of larger figures (18,28,30), contributing to a culture where there is less pressure for black women to be thin. Given these indications for obesity in black women, it is important to examine what a community sample of minority individuals consider to be acceptable and attractive body sizes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Realistic Weight Perception and Body Size Assessment in a Racially Diverse Community Sample of Dieters

1998

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KATHERINE A ELDER. Realistic weight perception and body size assessment in a racially diverse community sample of dieters. Obes Res. 1998;6:62-68. Recently, a shift in obesity treatment away from emphasizing ideal weight loss goals to establishing realistic weight loss goals has been proposed; yet, what constitutes "realistic" weight loss for different populations is not clear. This study examined notions of realistic shape and weight as well as body size assessment in a large community-based sample of African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and white men and women. Participants were 1893 survey respondents who were all dieters and primarily overweight. Groups were compared on various variables of body image assessment using silhouette ratings. No significant race differences were found in silhouette ratings, nor in perceptions of realistic shape or reasonable weight loss. Realistic shape and weight ratings by both women and men were smaller than current shape and weight but larger than ideal shape and weight ratings. Compared with male dieters, female dieters considered greater weight loss to be realistic. Implications of the findings for the treatment of obesity are discussed. CACHELIN, FARY M, RUTH H STRIEGEL-MOORE,

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

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confidence: 99%

Realistic Weight Perception and Body Size Assessment in a Racially Diverse Community Sample of Dieters

1998

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“…23,24 In addition, black men and women are more accepting of larger figures. 25,26 In fourth-grade children, "ideal body sizes" of black girls were significantly larger than those of white girls. 10 Dieting was extremely common among the crosssectional population of adolescents in this study.…”

Section: Commentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-reported Weight Status and Dieting in a Cross-sectional Sample of Young Adolescents

Strauß¹

1999

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

238

210

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To explore the relationship of self-reported weight status and dieting to actual weight and height in a cross-sectional nationally representative sample of young adolescents. Methods: Weights and heights were obtained on 1932 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Information on adolescents' perception of weight status, desired weight, and weight loss attempts was obtained by questionnaire. Results: Adolescents' reports of whether they considered themselves overweight or normal weight correlated poorly with medical definitions of overweight: 52% of girls who considered themselves overweight were, in fact, normal weight (body mass index Յ85th percentile), while only 25% of boys who considered themselves overweight were normal weight (PϽ.001). Adolescent white girls were significantly more likely to consider themselves overweight, even when their weight status was normal, than black girls (PϽ.001), black boys (PϽ.001), and white boys (PϽ.001). Adolescent white girls were also more likely to diet than black girls (PϽ.001), black boys (PϽ.001), and white boys (PϽ.001). Dieting behavior was associated with whether adolescents viewed themselves as overweight independent of whether they actually were overweight. Racial differences between dieting and self-perceived weight status were limited to girls. There were no significant differences in self-perceived weight status (P = .28), dieting behaviors (P = .99), and desire to weigh less (P = .95) among black and white boys. Conclusions: Significant sex and racial differences existed in weight perception, desired weight, and dieting. A high proportion of normal-weight white girls consider themselves overweight and have attempted to lose weight.

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“…In addition to studies on body dissatisfaction, researchers have examined more direct differences in cultural acceptance of body size and shape by taking two approaches: by asking men about their preferences for female shape, and by asking men and women to rate the ideal or attractive female figure. A study comparing black and white college men found that black men chose larger ideal female silhouettes and were not as tolerant as whites of very thin figures (29). Likewise, among adolescent boys, blacks were found to prefer a significantly heavier ideal female body size than whites (30).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most published studies of body image or body‐size preferences have used convenience samples of college students, have based findings on small samples of ethnic minority groups, and have not accounted for the impact of confounding variables including age, body weight, and SES. Findings from studies (11, 15, 29, 32, 33) that have utilized relatively small college samples cannot be generalized to the larger population of adults. Furthermore, there is evidence indicating that an individual's age, body weight, and SES or educational level all influence body image.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Ethnicity Influence Body‐Size Preference? A Comparison of Body Image and Body Size

et al. 2002

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2002;10:158 -166. Objective: Obesity is most common in the United States among women of ethnic minority groups (black and Hispanic). Researchers have hypothesized that these subcultures are more accepting of overweight figures. The purpose of this study was to examine body image and body size assessments in a large community sample of men and women. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants were 801 women and 428 men: 23% Asian, 45% Hispanic, 17% black, and 15% white. The figure rating scale was used to rate: body dissatisfaction, attractive male and female shapes, acceptable female size, and perceptions of underweight to obese female figures. Results: Controlling for age, education, and body weight, no ethnic differences were found for men. Asian women reported less body dissatisfaction than the other groups. Women were more dissatisfied with their size than men and chose thinner female figures as attractive and acceptable. Discussion: Ethnicity, independent of age, education, and body weight, does not influence preference for female and male shapes or tolerance for obesity.

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African-American males prefer a larger female body silhouette than do whites

Cited by 15 publications

References 5 publications

Realistic Weight Perception and Body Size Assessment in a Racially Diverse Community Sample of Dieters

Realistic Weight Perception and Body Size Assessment in a Racially Diverse Community Sample of Dieters

Self-reported Weight Status and Dieting in a Cross-sectional Sample of Young Adolescents

Does Ethnicity Influence Body‐Size Preference? A Comparison of Body Image and Body Size

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