Ethnicity-specific differences in body aesthetic ideals and body satisfaction have been cited as a potential explanation for interethnic differences in the prevalence and presentation of eating disorders. It has been widely hypothesized that such ethnically based differences in aesthetic body ideals mitigate cultural pressures that contribute to body disparagement and disordered eating among white women. However, mechanisms by which a cultural milieu may be protective against the development of disordered eating remain poorly understood. This study investigated relationships among ethnicity, self-representation, and body aesthetic ideals among 18 college-educated black and Latina women through analysis of focus group discussion data. Rather than confirming body aesthetic ideals different from those of white culture, study respondents reframed the discussion about body aesthetics to one of body ethics. That is, study subjects both contested ideologies defining thinness and whiteness as inherently beautiful and espoused a body ethic of self-acceptance and nurturance that rejects mainstream cultural pressures to reshape bodies to approximate aesthetic ideals promulgated in the media. We conclude that understanding body image concerns from the standpoint of body ethics, rather than body aesthetics, may be a more productive and inclusive approach to the study of ethnically diverse women's embodied experience. Ultimately it is anticipated that this will better illuminate the complex relationships among ethnicity, culture, and risk for body image and eating disorders.

The goal of postmastectomy breast reconstruction is to restore a woman’s body image and to satisfy her personal expectations regarding the results of surgery. Studies in other surgical areas have shown that unrecognized or unfulfilled expectations may predict dissatisfaction more strongly than even the technical success of the surgery. Patient expectations play an especially critical role in elective procedures, such as cancer reconstruction, where the patient’s primary motivation is improved health-related quality of life. In breast reconstruction, assessment of patient expectations is therefore vital to optimal patient care. This report summarizes the existing literature on patient expectations regarding breast reconstruction, and provides a viewpoint on how this field can evolve. Specifically, we consider how systematic measurement and management of patient expectations may improve patient education, shared medical decision-making and patient perception of outcomes.

The results indicate that although there are commonalities between patients' concepts of normality, it is important for health care professionals to recognise potential individual differences. This may usefully aid communication and help to manage expectations among patients considering surgical options.

Background Unfulfilled expectations can lead to patient dissatisfaction with surgical outcomes. Understanding expectations allows surgeons to identify those patients who hold inaccurate expectations preoperatively, and to reset those expectations through focused pre-operative education. The purpose of this study is to investigate preoperative expectations of women undergoing implant breast reconstruction. Identifying inaccurate or unfulfilled expectations is a critical step towards the advancement of preoperative education and subsequently improving patient satisfaction with surgical outcomes. Methods In-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted with 28 women undergoing implant breast reconstruction. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and data were coded using standard qualitative techniques. Results Interviews ascertained that implant-based breast reconstruction patients may have inaccurate expectations regarding the results of their surgery despite having received standard preoperative teaching. Specifically, patients often had unclear expectations regarding the appearance and physical outcome of the reconstructed breast(s). Some patients were surprised by the “flatness” of the tissue expander immediately following its insertion. Most patients felt unprepared for the “unnatural” final appearance of the breast(s). Furthermore, they did not expect many of the physical outcomes, including loss of sensation, firmness of the reconstructed breast(s), and lack of movement of the reconstructed breast(s). Inaccurate expectations corresponded to areas of dissatisfaction highlighted by the patients in postoperative interviews. Conclusion This study has important implications for preoperative education of women undergoing implant breast reconstruction. Physicians and nurses involved in the preoperative preparation process should take care to explore patients’ expectations regarding the look, feel, sensation, and movement of reconstructed breasts to increase overall postoperative satisfaction.