1. “S/he’s Got it Goin’ On”: Exploring Ethnic Differences in Body Talk
Mallory F. Fiery, MA, Denise M. Martz*, PhD, Rose Mary Webb, PhD, & Lisa A. Curtin, PhD
Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology, Boone, NC Health Psychology PhD Program, UNC Charlotte
ABSTRACT
METHOD
DISCUSSION &
CONCLUSIONS
Participants
2,001 women; 1,982 men; years old (M = 45.28, SD = 15.69)
83.4% White; 5.7% Black; 5.1% Asian/Pacific Islander; 3.5% Hispanic; multiethnic 1.3%; 0.9% Native American/Indian
Materials
Participants were asked to read and respond to three scenarios:
(1) Fat talk scenario: “Imagine you are in a group of friends/coworkers who are saying negative things about their bodies (e.g. ‘My butt is fat’).”
(2) Self-accepting scenario: “…who are saying self-accepting things about their bodies (e.g., ‘I feel okay about my body’).”
(3) Positive scenario: “…who are saying positive things about their bodies (e.g., ‘I really like my body’).”
Likelihood variable. After each scenario, participants were asked, “How likely would this scenario occur in your life?” on a Likert scale (1 = never; 5 = very frequently)
Pressure variable. After reading each scenario, participants asked to report, “How much pressure would you feel to say negative things (self-accepting things; positive things) about your body in this group?” using same Likert scale
Some body image comparisons have found that Black women tend to posses higher body esteem than Whites but other evidence refutes this finding. “Fat talk” is the term, coined by Mimi Nichter, for the documented tendency for White girls/women to say negative things about their bodies around other females. Other than her ethnographic research finding more fat talk among White middle school girls compared to African American girls, there is a dearth of research making ethnic comparisons of body image conversations. The current study used an online survey of age- and weight-representative U.S. adult men (n = 1,982) and women (n = 2,001) to assess whether participants in various racial/ethnic groups differed significantly on 1) exposure to and 2) pressure to engage in each of 3 body talk scenarios: negative (i.e., “fat talk”), self-accepting, and positive. Results of one-way ANOVAs indicated that Black and Hispanic women reported higher exposure to self-accepting and positive body talk than did White women, while White women reported more pressure to engage in fat talk than Black women did. This is consistent with the body image literature espousing pride and personal individualization of beauty and style among Black and Hispanic women (i.e., “got it goin’ on”). Asian/Pacific Islander men reported the highest levels of pressure to engage in each form of body talk, while Black men reported significantly higher likelihood of exposure to self-accepting and positive talk relative to White men. Further exploration of varying forms of body talk holds promise for the development of culturally sensitive prevention and treatment efforts for body image, obesity, and disordered eating.
“…she got it goin’ on!”
“…I like to body talk!”
Discussion: Women
Discussion: Men
White women report more pressure to fat talk.
Consistent with current body image literature suggesting the pervasiveness of the thin ideal and dissatisfaction with heavier body weight among White women
Also aligned with research pointing to both the mass media and romantic preferences of White men for a slender yet curvy female body, while other research highlights the preferences of Black heterosexual men for fuller-figured female partners
Black women report more exposure to self-accepting and positive body talk.
In her ethnographic study, Nichter (2000) observed that Black girls received consistent compliments from both sexes for “having it going on,” or making what she had “work for her.”
Quantitative research has demonstrated a positive sense of self-worth, body acceptance, and self-confidence among Black women that is echoed by our findings.
Asian men report highest perceived pressure to engage in all 3 forms of body talk.
Differing Asian ethnicities prefer differing body sizes, based on the size of frame indigenous to that culture (e.g., Japanese & Chinese men tend to have smaller builds, and prefer larger body sizes, while Filipino men tend to have larger builds and prefer smaller body sizes).
Mainstream media presents an image of the Asian male that is frequently emasculated and desexualized
Proclivity to engage in self-accepting and positive body talk may represent an attempt to reclaim the virility perceived as lost within Western culture
Black men report more pressure to engage in positive body talk.
Could be reporting on the similar norm demonstrated among Black women, OR could be reporting comparable norms for themselves as men. Might feel pressure to respond in kind to positive talk presented by another man.
DATA ANALYSIS
Six one-way ANOVAs (3 scenarios, 2 DVs each) run within-gender for women, initially with race collapsed (Whites vs. other) based on prior body image literature.
Significant differences warranted 4 follow-up ANOVAs with race expanded.
Six one-way ANOVAs (race expanded) run for men (no prior literature).
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
Mimi Nichter coined the term fat talk to describe conversations about body image complaints observed in White middle school girls.
Fat talk is presumed to be the social extension of poor body image.
Clear gender and weight differences in both exposure to and pressure to engage in fat talk have been demonstrated (i.e., women report higher rates than men; one study suggests heavier individuals report more pressure to engage in disparaging forms of body talk)
Research has yet to examine potential ethnic differences in varying forms of body talk, yet current body image literature is rife with contradictory findings regarding body image satisfaction among various ethnicities
Fat talk as a construct presents a demonstrable link to body image in that is has been described as a behavioral manifestation of self-objectification, and research has demonstrated that exposure to fat talk results in exacerbated self-objectification, which in turn may increase risk for body image disturbance, disordered eating, and eating disorders
Findings for Women
Findings for Men
White women reported significantly more pressure to engage in fat talk vs. Black women (d = 0.41)
Black women reported significantly higher likelihood of exposure to self-accepting body talk vs. White (d = 0.56) and Biracial (d = 0.53) women
Black (d = 0.42) and Hispanic (d = 0.35) women reported significantly higher likelihood of exposure to positive body talk vs. White women
Hispanic women reported significantly more pressure to engage in positive body talk vs. White women (d = 0.36)
Asian men reported significantly higher likelihood of exposure to fat talk vs. White men (d = 0.26)
Asian men reported significantly more pressure to engage in fat talk (d = 0.36), self-accepting talk (d = 0.41), and positive body talk (d = 0.39) vs. White men
Black (d = 0.44), Asian (d = 0.31), and Native American (d = 0.76) men reported significantly higher likelihood of exposure to self-accepting body talk vs. White men
Black (d = 0.46) and Asian (d = 0.43) men reported significantly higher likelihood of exposure to positive body talk vs. White men
Black (& Asian) men reported significantly more pressure to engage in positive body talk relative to White men (d = 0.28)
LIMITATIONS &
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Failed to identify perceived gender and ethnicity of both the speaker and peer-group composition in each of the vignettes
No discrimination of ethnic groups within race (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Filipino)
No measure of ethnic identity
Examples given in the vignettes (e.g., “My butt is fat”) could have interacted with race and gender to skew findings
Did not identify sexual orientation
Measures in current study neither normed or validated; psychometrically sound measures were not available at the time of data collection
Within-subjects design did not allow for examination of impact of one form of body talk on another
Did not examine talk with regards to specific areas of body dissatisfaction (e.g., buttocks, thighs, stature, muscularity)
Current findings shed light on important sociocultural differences in the social expression of body image and further clarification will aid in the development of future prevention and treatment efforts aimed at reducing body dissatisfaction and disordered eating
DESIGN
Figure 1. Visual Representation of Within-Gender Study Design
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the UNC Charlotte Health Psychology PhD Program and the Department of Psychology for providing travel funding for the first author.