I’m not just fat, I’m old: has the study of body image overlooked “old talk”?

Abstract

BackgroundResearch indicates that body dissatisfaction is correlated with and often predictive of both physical and mental health problems. “Fat talk,” a well-studied form of body image talk in adolescents and university-aged women, has been implicated as contributing to body dissatisfaction and mediating the relationship between body dissatisfaction and other mental health problems. Limited research, however, has investigated fat talk across the female lifespan. Further, consistent with most body image research, fat talk research solely focuses on the thin dimension of idealized female attractiveness, even though other dimensions may contribute to body dissatisfaction in women.MethodThe current study investigated whether or not “old talk,” a hereto un-described form of body image talk, appears to be a parallel, but distinct, form of body image talk that taps into the young dimension of the thin-young-ideal standard of female beauty. An international, internet sample of women (aged 18-87, N = 914) completed questionnaires aimed at assessing fat talk, old talk, body image disturbance, and eating disorder pathology.ResultsResults indicated that both fat talk and old talk were reported by women across the lifespan, although they evidenced different trajectories of frequency. Like fat talk, old talk was significantly correlated with body image disturbance and eating disorder pathology, albeit at a lower rate than fat talk in the total sample. Old talk was more highly correlated with ageing appearance anxiety than fat talk, and the correlation between old talk and body image disturbance and ED pathology increased with women’s ages.ConclusionResults suggest that old talk is a form of body image talk that is related to but distinct from fat talk. Old talk appears to be similarly problematic to fat talk for women whose age increases their deviation from the thin-young-ideal. Further research into the phenomenon of old talk is warranted as is increased attention to fat talk across the full lifespan of women.

Screening and offering online programs for eating disorders: Reach, pathology, and differences across eating disorder status groups at 28 U.S. universities

“…Example items include: “When my peers have dessert or ‘junk’ food, they say they are ‘being bad’ or ‘cheating’” and “When my peers haven't exercised in a while, they talk about how ‘lazy’ they are being.” Items were summed to form a total score. In samples of young adult women, the BTS had a large significant correlation ( r = .71, p < .001) with an established measure of fat talk (i.e., Fat Talk Scale [Clarke, Murnen, & Smolak, ] as modified by Becker, Diedrichs, Jankowski, & Werchan, ) and demonstrated good 2‐week test–retest reliability ( r = .76, p < .001) (Karam et al, ). In this study, Cronbach's alpha was .93.…”

Body image in adult women: moving beyond the younger years

“…Becker and colleagues (2013) also examined fat talk in a large (N = 914) international internet sample with women who ranged in age from 18–87. Results indicated that women across the lifespan reported engaging in fat talk and that only women in the oldest cohort (ages 61+) reported significantly less fat talk than the youngest cohort (ages 18–29).…”

“…Becker et al (2013) also examined the degree to which participants reported engaging in “old talk.” They defined old talk as speech that implicitly or explicitly reinforces the young component of the thin-young-ideal. Participants ages 46 and older reported engaging in significantly more old talk than the 18–29 year old cohort and the 30–45 year old cohort.…”

“…Additional life differences observed in adult women that can affect body image include pregnancy, reduced time for self-care and positive health behaviors due to demands of employment, household obligations, and/or child/elder care, as well life stressors more commonly experienced later in life such as death of a spouse or friends/family members (Becker, Diedrichs, Jankowski, &Werchan, 2013; Halliwell&Dittmar, 2003; McLean, Paxton, & Wertheim, 2010). In summary, adult women often have life priorities, physiological factors, and psychological changes that may differentially affect body image across the lifespan.…”

The Interventions of Diet and Physical Activity in Obese Peri- and Post-Menopausal African-American Women in the Community Health Setting

“…Increased stress and other emotional issues are associated with menopause and with ageing in general (Becker et al, 2013), and stress can interfere with one's ability to regulate eating habits and find the time to exercise (Lewis & Sutton, 2011). The way one copes with stress depends on several factors, including age, financial status, ethnicity, and gender (Tanyi & Werner, 2007).…”