Three hundred and eighty-five girls ages 10 through 14 years were surveyed about eating behavior, body satisfaction, concern with being slender, and cues from parents, peers, and magazines in regard to weight management techniques and the importance of slenderness. A majority reported receiving a clear message from fashion magazines and peers or family members that slenderness is important and attainable through dieting and other methods. Two strong correlates of drive for thinness and disturbed patterns of eating were (a) reading magazines that contain information and ideas about an attractive body shape and about weight management, and (b) weight/shape-related teasing and criticism by family. This study indicates that body dissatisfaction and weight concerns reflect adoption of a socially approved female role. It also raises the possibility that some young adolescent girls live in a subculture of intense weight and body-shape concern that places them at risk for disordered eating behavior:

Objective: Whereas gay culture's presumed emphasis on physical appearance may potentiate body dissatisfaction, lesbian culture's seeming lack of emphasis on appearance may protect against body dissatisfaction. We examined body dissatisfaction, associated psychosocial variables, and affiliation with the gay and lesbian community. Method: Self-report measures were administered to 257 subjects (69 lesbians, 72 heterosexual women, 58 gay men, and 58 heterosexual men). Results: Compared with heterosexual men, gay men reported significantly more body dissatisfaction and more distress in many of the psychosocial areas related to body dissatisfaction. In contrast, lesbians and heterosexual women did not differ in these areas. Although affiliation with the gay community was associated with body dissatisfaction in gay men, affiliation with the lesbian community was unrelated to body dissatisfaction in lesbians. Discussion: It seems that aspects of the gay community increase vulnerability to body dissatisfaction, yet the values of the lesbian community do not seem to be protective against body dissatisfaction. 0 7 996 by john Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Objective Whereas gay culture's presumed emphasis on physical appearance may potentiate body dissatisfaction, lesbian culture's seeming lack of emphasis on appearance may protect against body dissatisfaction. We examined body dissatisfaction, associated psychosocial variables, and affiliation with the gay and lesbian community. Method: Self‐report measures were administered to 257 subjects (69 lesbians, 72 heterosexual women, 58 gay men, and 58 heterosexual men). Results: Compared with heterosexual men, gay men reported significantly more body dissatisfaction and more distress in many of the psychosocial areas related to body dissatisfaction. In contrast, lesbians and heterosexual women did not differ in these areas. Although affiliation with the gay community was associated with body dissatisfaction in gay men, affiliation with the lesbian community was unrelated to body dissatisfaction in lesbians. Discussion: It seems that aspects of the gay community increase vulnerability to body dissatisfaction, yet the values of the lesbian community do not seem to be protective against body dissatisfaction. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Into the 21st century, as populations throughout the world become more and more ethnically diverse, the study of ethnicity will continue to have ever-increasing importance. In addition, with the consumption of fatty, sugar-laden convenience foods and higher levels of sedentary behavior, the rates of obesity, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology among ethnically diverse children and adolescents will also continue to rise. This chapter reviews the ways in which obesity and body dissatisfaction are related to the development of eating disorders among ethnically diverse youth within the United States,' with a focus on treatment implications. Our goals are to (a) identify important culture-related constructs; (b) examine the prevalence of obesity by ethnicity as a context within which eating and weight-related problems arise; (c) review the literature on body image, body type preference, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology among ethnically diverse children and adolescents; (d) identify methodological limitations of the current literature; and (e) suggest future directions and implications for modifying treatment for these often neglected populations.'Of note, there also have been within country as well as across-country studies of ethnicity among children and adolescents conducted outside the United States which are unfortunately beyond the scope of this chapter (for a review, see e.g.,

Research examining body dissatisfaction among lesbians has attempted to compare lesbians' and heterosexual women's attitudes toward their bodies. Studies have yielded mixed results, some indicating that lesbians, compared to heterosexual women, are more satisfied with their bodies, and some indicating that the two groups of women are equally dissatisfied. In an attempt to more closely explore lesbians' attitudes toward their bodies, we conducted interviews with 26 lesbian college students and inquired into how the following areas might be related to body‐image concerns: (a) lesbian beauty ideals, (b) the sources through which lesbian beauty ideals are conveyed, (c) lesbian conflict about beauty, (d) negative stereotypes about lesbians' appearance, and (e) lesbian concerns about feminine identity. Results indicated that young adult