TY - JOUR
T1 - Downward spirals of body surveillance and weight/shape concern among African American and Caucasian college women
AU - Fitzsimmons, Ellen E.
AU - Bardone-Cone, Anna M.
PY - 2011/6
Y1 - 2011/6
N2 - Within dominant American culture, females often learn to view themselves from an observer's perspective and to treat themselves as objects to be looked at (i.e., self-objectification), which can result in negative outcomes. Body surveillance (the indicator of self-objectification) has been found to predict concern with weight/shape in predominantly Caucasian samples, but research has not yet examined the potential reciprocal relations between body surveillance and weight/shape concern. Participants were 226 women attending a Midwestern university (70 self-identified as African American and 156 as Caucasian) who provided data at two time points, spaced about 5 months apart. Results revealed that downward spirals of body surveillance and weight/shape concern were apparent for the Caucasian but not the African American women. However, there was evidence that body surveillance helped account for change in weight/shape concern for the African American women.
AB - Within dominant American culture, females often learn to view themselves from an observer's perspective and to treat themselves as objects to be looked at (i.e., self-objectification), which can result in negative outcomes. Body surveillance (the indicator of self-objectification) has been found to predict concern with weight/shape in predominantly Caucasian samples, but research has not yet examined the potential reciprocal relations between body surveillance and weight/shape concern. Participants were 226 women attending a Midwestern university (70 self-identified as African American and 156 as Caucasian) who provided data at two time points, spaced about 5 months apart. Results revealed that downward spirals of body surveillance and weight/shape concern were apparent for the Caucasian but not the African American women. However, there was evidence that body surveillance helped account for change in weight/shape concern for the African American women.
KW - Body image
KW - Body surveillance
KW - Objectified body consciousness
KW - Race/ethnicity
KW - Self-objectification
KW - Weight/shape concern
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79959409809&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.04.003
DO - 10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.04.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 21596635
AN - SCOPUS:79959409809
SN - 1740-1445
VL - 8
SP - 216
EP - 223
JO - Body Image
JF - Body Image
IS - 3
ER -