The discussion of race within body image research has for many years been a topic of empirical focus. However, remaining still is a lack of knowledge regarding the unique sociocultural factors that are involved in African American women's experience of body and the development of body dissatisfaction. Racial identity and family background may impact Black women's body attitudes. The proposed study is an exploratory investigation of body dissatisfaction in a sample of African American women college students. Specifically, the role of racial identity and the endorsement of racial socialization messages received from family will be examined. Findings will serve to increase understanding of the sociocultural underpinnings of body image among Black women. Racial identity and racial socialization will be tested as potential predictors of body dissatisfaction through hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Racial identity status will be examined as a potential mediator of racial socialization and body dissatisfaction.

A lack of knowledge exists regarding the sociocultural factors involved in African American women’s experience of body dissatisfaction. This study examined the body image attitudes of African American women through the constructs of racial socialization from family and racial identity. This study was partially exploratory in nature, as few researchers have examined the relation between racial socialization from family and body dissatisfaction. Specifically, this study examined (1) the relationships between endorsement of various racial socialization messages and body dissatisfaction (2) the relationships between racial identity attitudes and body dissatisfaction (3) the role of racial socialization messages and racial identity attitudes in the prediction of body dissatisfaction (4) racial identity attitudes as mediators of the relationship between racial socialization messages and body dissatisfaction. Participants included 187 African American women. The majority of the population was recruited from a large, southwestern, predominantly White university. With regard to racial socialization, results did not support a significant relationship between Protective messages and body dissatisfaction, Coping messages and body dissatisfaction, and Affirmation messages and body dissatisfaction. However, Stereotyping messages were found to be significant and positively related to body dissatisfaction. Results revealed that among racial identity attitudes Pre-Encounter Self-Hatred was significantly and positively related to body dissatisfaction. Findings did not support significant relationships between Pre-Encounter Assimilation, Pre-Encounter Miseducation, Immersion-Emersion Anti-White, Internalization Afrocentric, Internalization Multicultural Inclusive racial identity attitudes and body dissatisfaction. Additionally, Stereotyping messages and Pre-Encounter Self-Hatred were predictive of body dissatisfaction among this sample of African American women. Finally, Pre-Encounter Self-Hatred racial identity attitudes mediated the relationship between Stereotyping messages and body dissatisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Recent empirical studies have examined sociocultural factors that affec women's development of body dissatisfaction including the roles of media, peer influence, and racial/cultural standards. This study examines the influence of racial socialization, mass media, and peers in influencing African American and white women's body dissatisfaction. Specifically, focus groups are used from a sample of 25 African American and white college students between the ages of 18 and 22. This study draws on a social comparison theoretical framework which argues that individuals evaluate their self-concept based on their ideas, values, and attitudes similar to them. This study finds that African American women are vulnerable to white standards of beauty. However, they are more resilient to these standards because of how they are racially socialized. Further, white women are more susceptible to conform to normative ideals of beauty that equate beauty with thinness. .

Body image dissatisfaction is a pervasive problem, most notably among women, that is neither well understood nor well defined. Inconsistent and overly narrow definitions of body image make it difficult to draw conclusions regarding the degree and type of dissatisfaction across cultural and/or various ethnic groups. Thus far, research has largely focused on size, shape, and weight concerns, ignoring physical features that may be salient to women belonging to non-Caucasian ethnic groups. This study explored African-American (AA) preferences for weight, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and salient physical appearance attributes, as well as their identification with the "thin" ideal, racial identity salience, and physical racial identity. Participants were 119 AA women and 39 Caucasian women recruited from the St. Louis metropolitan area. Participants' actual and ideal physical attributes, current perceived WHR and weight, ideal WHR and weight, and reactions to the WHR and weight assessment task were assessed and examined in relation to ethnic group membership, endorsement of racial identity, identification with the "thin" ideal, and identification with traditional African physical attributes. Results indicate that AA women reported less discrepancy between their actual-own body image ideal and more ethnic specific features (ESF) as actual traits, but not as ideal traits. There was a negative relationship between internalization of the thin ideal and acceptance of African physical features, but acceptance of African physical features was not related to the number of ESF reported. The salience of race for self-identity was positively related to the number of ESF reported as representative of the cultural ideal only. Although a significant interaction between physical racial identity and internalization of the thin ideal was found, further analyses did not support the hypothesized moderation effect. Finally, AA participants reported less of a discrepancy between their perceived current and ideal weight, but not WHR, and reported more concerns with the WHR/FRS measure than the Caucasian participants. The present study lends support to the differences in salient physical characteristics across ethnic groups. Strategies to increase understanding and completion of the measures, further examine relationships among racial identification and body image measures, and improve reliability of findings are discussed.

Racial identity is a complex construct that generally refers to how one defines his or her race, and how strongly one feels he or she belongs to it. Having an identity that is stigmatized yet highly salient to a person can be problematic in that people of color may be at risk of psychological distress due to experiences of racism, unequal treatment, and anxiety about future experiences of discrimination. Nonetheless, positive feelings of ethnic affirmation and belonging, appreciation for one’s ethnic identity, and increased ethnic behaviors have been identified as factors contributing to resilience and coping in African Americans. Research alludes to a strong, positive racial identity having a protective effect on the risk for developing depression; however, the nature and prevalence of depression in Black college-educated women has largely been understudied in the U.S., particularly in regard to women who have completed college or are of middle and high SES. The present study sought to explore the nature of depression and prevalence of depressive symptoms as it relates to Black women in conjunction with racial identity and education level using a sample of 167 African American women. Specifically, it was hypothesized that 1) education would negatively correlate with depression, 2) positive racial identity would negatively correlate with depression, and 3) the combination of a strong, positive racial identity and African American social network would more accurately predict lower depression better than positive racial identity alone. While Hypotheses 1 and 3 were not supported, Hypothesis 2 found support in a strong negative correlation between depression and racial regard, one of the three dimensions of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity. Results indicate that women who hold positive views toward themselves as Black people and perceive others as doing the same are at lower risk for developing depression. This connection indicates the importance of racial socialization and how fostering cultural pride can influence positive mental health outcomes in people of color.