A Preliminary Investigation of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorder Symptomatology with Bisexual Individuals

Abstract

Body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology were examined in bisexual individuals (n=139 women, n=37 men) and compared to lesbian/gay (n=51 women, n=96 men) and heterosexual individuals (n=82 women, n=34 men) in a U.S. online sample. Age, body mass index (BMI), income, and exercise frequency served as covariates. MANCOVA results showed a significant gender by sexual orientation interaction and significant main effects of gender and sexuality. Univariate tests were used to explore multivariate results. ANCOVA results for body dissatisfaction showed a significant gender by sexual orientation interaction. Post-hoc comparisons revealed higher levels of body dissatisfaction among all groups compared to heterosexual men. ANCOVA results for eating disorder symptomatology showed a significant main effect of sexual orientation. Post-hoc comparisons revealed higher levels of eating disorder symptoms among bisexual compared to heterosexual individuals. For bisexual men, gay community involvement, maladaptive social comparison, drive for muscularity, self-esteem, gender role orientation, and body dissatisfaction were explored as predictors of eating disorder symptomatology while controlling for age, BMI, exercise frequency, and income in a hierarchical regression analysis. The same factors, minus body dissatisfaction, were explored as predictors of body dissatisfaction in bisexual men. For bisexual women, similar factors, with the exception of drive for muscularity, were explored. Drive for muscularity predicted body dissatisfaction and exercise frequency predicted eating disorder symptomatology in bisexual men. BMI and self-esteem predicted body dissatisfaction in bisexual women; gay community involvement and body dissatisfaction predicted eating disorder symptomatology.

Fiction, Fashion, and Function Finale: An Introduction and Conclusion to the Special Issue on Gendered Body Image, Part III

“…In the U.S., body surveillance does not seem to be connected to heterosexual men's body shame; yet, these constructs are closely tied for heterosexual women, lesbian women, and gay men (Engeln-Maddox et al 2011). Being gay or bisexual is linked to higher body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology among U.S. college men (Davids and Green 2011). Interestingly, the picture for bisexual and lesbian U.S. college women is more complex: they report similar levels of body dissatisfaction and body shame but higher levels of eating disorder symptomatology than heterosexual college women (Davids and Green 2011).…”

“…Being gay or bisexual is linked to higher body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology among U.S. college men (Davids and Green 2011). Interestingly, the picture for bisexual and lesbian U.S. college women is more complex: they report similar levels of body dissatisfaction and body shame but higher levels of eating disorder symptomatology than heterosexual college women (Davids and Green 2011). Yet, this trend is reversed for women in the community: lesbian community women, who tend to be older than lesbian college women, experience lower levels of eating disorder symptomatology than heterosexual community women (Engeln-Maddox et al 2011), suggesting that age and college involvement may interact with sexual orientation to shape women's disordered eating behaviors.…”

“…They have been underrepresented in body image research; when they are included, bisexual women are grouped with lesbian women and bisexual men are grouped with gay men without exploring whether bisexual individuals are indeed similar to these groups. In this issue, Davids and Green (2011) explored levels and predictors of body image and disordered eating with groups of bisexual women and bisexual men from the U.S. Gay men, lesbian women, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women, also from the U.S., served as comparison groups.…”

“…Indeed, professionals need to examine how their clients' social identities merge to construct their body image. In particular, African Americans (especially those who do not hold African culture central to their identity; Oney et al 2011), older women (Hine 2011), gay men and lesbian women (Davids and Green 2011;Engeln-Maddox et al 2011), and bisexual men and women (Davids and Green 2011) also have body image concerns, even though they do not fit the specific identities reflected in Western gendered body ideals.…”

“…Professionals need to be aware that a history of sexual objectification among gay men and lesbian women may not be as relevant to their body surveillance or body shame; however, their body surveillance, body shame, and eating disordered behaviors, which are connected, still need to be considered. Davids and Green's (2011) study provided much needed information about bisexual men's and women's body image. Whether young adult women are bisexual, heterosexual, or lesbian, they seem to experience similar levels of body dissatisfaction.…”