Gender and Cultural Differences in the Relationships between Self-Esteem Contingency, Body Talk, and Body Esteem

Abstract

This study analyzed the positive and negative body talk of male and female adolescents cross-culturally with an emphasis on the role of appearance-contingent and others’ approval-contingent self-worth. A cross-national survey in Austria, Belgium, Spain, and South Korea among 12- to 16-year-olds (982 female and 993 male) found that (1) positive body talk was positively related and negative body talk was negatively related to body esteem; (2) appearance contingency was positively related to negative body talk; (3) appearance contingency increased positive body talk among girls (except Korean girls); and (4) contingency on other’s approval increased positive body talk among boys in all four countries. Overall, gender differences were more prominent than cultural differences and positive body talk was instrumental in promoting adolescents’ body esteem.

Translation and validation of a Chinese version of the body talk scale for women and men

“…However, the findings are inconsistent with the parent study conducted in the U.S. which showed no gender differences in either fat talk or muscle talk and a marginally significant gender difference in positive body talk, with men engaging in positive body talk more frequently than women [ 24 ]. This inconsistency may be partly due to cultural differences observed across collectivism and individualism [ 25 ], with China as a highly collectivistic culture and the U.S. as a highly individualistic culture [ 80 , 81 ]. Specifically, in a collectivistic culture, Chinese people value embeddedness in group relations, conformity to the group standards, and reliance on social norms to guide social behaviors, all of which may augment social pressures on body image and increase body comparisons for both women and men [ 82 ].…”

“…Second, the findings from non-clinical adults in the present study may not generalize to Chinese adolescents and clinical patients (e.g., individuals with eating disorders or body dysmorphia), and further validation of the C-BTS in these Chinese populations is needed. Relatedly, considering potential cultural differences in body talk (e.g., [ 25 ]), future studies may also examine the cross-cultural invariance of and differences in the BTS (e.g., China vs. U.S.).…”

“…Data analyses in the present study were conducted via the psych [ 58 ] and lavaan [ 59 ] packages on R version 4.2.0 [ 60 ]. Given the prominence of gender differences in body talk [ 25 , 61 , 62 ], data analyses were conducted separately for women and men. As recommended in Swami and Barron [ 40 ], the EFA-to-CFA approach was used to examine the factor structure of the BTS in the Chinese context.…”

“…Positive body talk has gained research popularity in recent years. Related research reported that higher positive body talk was related to lower body fat dissatisfaction in girls from the U.S. [ 12 ] and higher body esteem in both boys and girls in a large-scale survey from multiple countries (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Spain, and South Korea) [ 25 ]. Moreover, in a sample of Belgian adolescent boys and girls, positive body talk was found to play a protective role in relation to lower thin/athletic-ideal internalization [ 26 ].…”

Translation and Validation of a Chinese Version of the Body Talk Scale for Women and Men

“…First, the sample in the present study was non-clinical adults from China recruited online; thus, the ndings may not be generalizable to general Chinese adults, Chinese adolescents, clinical patients (e.g., individuals with eating disorders or body dysmorphia), and further validation of the C-BTS in these Chinese populations is needed. Relatedly, considering the potential cultural differences in body talk (e.g.,Choi et al, 2021), future studies may also consider examining the cross-cultural invariance of and differences in the BTS (e.g., China vs. US).…”