#BlackBodiesMatter

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the willingness and motivation to engage in body modification to attain an ideal body image from a crosscultural perspective of Black women in the United States and Black women in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews (n = 30) reveal that exercise is the most salient method of modification because it is inexpensive, promotes health and wellness, wards off familial health issues such as diabetes, and shapes the body to better fit clothing. Surgical methods are considered but, naturalness, costs, and potential health effects are viewed as deterrents. Both groups vary in terms of depicting what each group aspires to replicate through body modification. The findings in this article contribute to social comparison theory by expanding the theory and providing a lens for examining Black women's body modification.

#ModernBaartmans: Black Women’s Reimagining of Saartjie Baartman

“…These types of historical notions of objectification in its various forms echo in current experiences of objectification, where women indulge in self-objectification, disordered eating, and emotional distress. From such experiences there is also motivation to engage in cosmetic or plastic surgery (Ashley & Jung, 2017). This study will help us understand how the constructs of objectification theory vary for Black women by country and identity.…”

“…In South Africa, there is an intrafamilial resemblance for ideal body sizes (Mchiza et al, 2011). Nonetheless, there is tension between Western ideals and Black South African women's traditional body aesthetics (Ashley & Jung, 2017;Hewat & Arndt, 2009). Ideal body types derive from intra-family similarities (Mchiza et al, 2011).…”