Experiences of discrimination are associated with drive for muscularity among African American men.

Abstract

Although a large body of research identifies drive for muscularity as a central facet of men’s body image concerns, African American men are routinely omitted from investigations of this construct. Guided by the threatened masculinity hypothesis, we conceptualize experiences of everyday discrimination as a potential threat to masculinity that may promote drive for muscularity among African American men. A strong sense of ethnic identity, however, may buffer the negative effects of this threat. Participants were a nationally diverse sample of 261 18–30- year-old African American men (M age = 23.72, SD = 3.47). Participants completed an online survey containing the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS), the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS), and a demographic questionnaire. Pearson correlations and hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to examine direct and moderated associations among our study variables. Discrimination was significantly and positively related to drive for muscularity. Ethnic identity did not significantly moderate this association, indicating that it did not function as a protective factor, as hypothesized. Although prospective data are needed to determine whether discrimination is a risk factor for drive for muscularity, results from the current data highlight the diversity of negative psychological factors associated with discriminatory experiences among young African American men.

Stereotype Application at the Intersection of Body Shape, Gender/Sex, and Sexual Orientation

“…Fox's (2007) qualitative report on thin gay bodies as they signify HIV). Work on the drive for muscularity among men is prevalent (e.g., McCreary & Sasse, 2000;Osa & Kelly, 2021) but, we argue, captures a separate dimension of the body through its focus on muscularity rather than shape, or weight, itself. Elucidating men's experiences of thinness would contribute to a more robust understanding of weight stigma, and may have broader implications for the study of masculinities.…”