“Pretty hurts”: Acceptance of hegemonic feminine beauty ideals and reduced sexual well-being among Black women

Avery, Lanice R.; Stanton, Alexis G.; Ward, L. Monique; Cole, Elizabeth R.; Trinh, Sarah L.; Jerald, Morgan C.

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.04.004

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…As expected and in line with previous research, lower thin-ideal internalization was related to a more positive body image (Andrew et al, 2016;Frederick et al, 2022;Jarman et al, 2021) and to less appearancerelated self-consciousness during physical intimacy (Avery et al, 2021;Rousseau et al, 2017). Accordingly, our findings support the notion that internalization of the current thin ideal can be considered a risk factor for body image disturbance and appearance-related distracting thoughts during physical intimacy in women.…”

Section: Thin-ideal Internalizationsupporting

confidence: 92%

Young women’s sexual satisfaction in danger: the significance of thin-ideal internalization, positive body image, and appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy

Brink¹,

Vollmann²

2022

Health Psychology Report

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BackgroundPrevious research indicated that a positive body image is indirectly related to young adult women’s sexual satisfaction through protecting them from appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy. The aim of the present study was to investigate thin-ideal internalization as a potential factor associated with positive body image, and subsequently ap-pearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy and sexual satisfaction.Participants and procedureUsing a cross-sectional design, 250 young adult Dutch women (age: M = 22.98, SD = 2.98) filled in an online survey measuring the relevant variables.ResultsA path analysis revealed that lower thin-ideal internalization was related to greater sexual satisfaction through a more posi-tive body image and less appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy, and also consecutively via both.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that thin-ideal internalization may trigger processes that are detrimental to sexual satisfaction in women. Consequently, strengthening sociocultural pressure resistance skills in young adult women could facilitate the de-velopment and maintenance of positive sexual experiences.

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Section: Thin-ideal Internalizationsupporting

confidence: 92%

Young women’s sexual satisfaction in danger: the significance of thin-ideal internalization, positive body image, and appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy

Brink¹,

Vollmann²

2022

Health Psychology Report

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“…Earlier studies conducted before 2011 (Makkar & Strube, 1995; Robinson-Moore, 2005, 2008; Lipford Sanders, 1996; Tucker, 2000; White, 2005) focused on understanding and comparing Black women’s beauty to Eurocentric standards. Studies published later, in 2021, move beyond comparison and instead focus on Black women’s perception of their beauty in relation to social media usage (Chambers, 2021), sexual well-being (Avery et al, 2021), and beauty retailing (Reed, 2021). In one instance, gendered and racial events were categorized to develop a taxonomy of microaggressions experienced by Black adolescent girls.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, for Black women, ascribing to mainstream beauty standards can diminish their sexual well-being. As a result, they report higher levels of guilt and shame around sex, body insecurity and emotional distancing during sex, and also feel less likely to experience pleasurable sex (Avery et al, 2021). Despite these associations, acceptance of the conventional beauty standard did not relate to sexual satisfaction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seven (7) mentioned that participants were college students when the research was conducted. One study used participants' reported education to define and determine socioeconomic status and class (Avery et al, 2021), but the remaining 19 reported education level as additional demographic information only. Most studies did not place a boundary around the ages of participants (n = 23) as long as participants were over 18 and met the study criteria.…”

Section: Number Of Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Scoping Review of Black American Beauty Studies From 1995 to 2022

Reed

Miller

2023

Journal of Black Studies

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Existing reviews focus on issues affecting Black Americans or beauty standards, respectively. In comparison, this scoping review identifies studies that address both topics. The 39 selected publications revealed that hair, beauty standards, and body image were the most studied areas within Black American beauty. Studies were synthesized into three themes: (a) relationship to Eurocentric beauty standards, (b) community influence, and (c) intersectional approaches. While Black American beauty standards exist, Black women’s relationship to their intracultural beauty standard is fluid and dependent on multiple factors. The search criteria differentiated the types of methods included in the review but also reduced the number of empirical studies included. Future research should focus on the relationship between beauty rituals, Black American beauty ideals, and their relationship to skincare, haircare, or cosmetics.

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“…In examining the root causes of skin-picking and hair-pulling behaviors in BAME individuals, it is important to recognize and challenge the deeply entrenched narratives that give way to the compulsion to groom and "correct" one's appearance. Literature suggests that "hegemonic beauty ideals" shaped in the image of White American and Western European women adversely affect the bodily agency and overall well-being of Black women, who often make changes in their behaviors and appearances to align themselves with these ideals in conscious and unconscious ways (Avery et al, 2021). When upheld by practitioners and health educators, these same ideals can compromise the delivery of quality care to Black women, who are navigating complicated relationships with their physical appearances, including and especially those with BFRBs.…”

Section: Archeology Of Selfmentioning

confidence: 99%

No One-Size-Fits-All: Critical Narrative Intervention and Archeology of Self as Anti-Racist and Anti-Colonial Practices in Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Dixon,

Isaac

2023

Health Educ Behav

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Health education and research has historically relied on partnerships between institutions that focus on prescribing interventions rather than working with communities to identify and address systemic violence and oppression as root causes of health inequity. This perpetuates harmful colonial paradigms in health education. We present an autoethnographic perspective of our experiences as Black women with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors to reexamine harmful assumptions and practices underpinning the field. Through digital storytelling, a qualitative research method, we explore Critical Narrative Intervention (CNI) and the Archeology of Self (AOS) as key methodological frameworks in decolonizing health education. Using our experiences of navigating complex mental health education and care, we highlight CNI and AOS as creative, asset-based, narrative, and participatory approaches to addressing health inequity and promoting an anti-colonist and anti-racist public health paradigm. We call practitioners to explore these methodologies in reimagining how we engage with diverse, historically excluded communities, while critically interrogating our own biases as we move toward equitable partnerships and caring relationships.

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“Pretty hurts”: Acceptance of hegemonic feminine beauty ideals and reduced sexual well-being among Black women

Cited by 21 publications

References 60 publications

Young women’s sexual satisfaction in danger: the significance of thin-ideal internalization, positive body image, and appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy

Young women’s sexual satisfaction in danger: the significance of thin-ideal internalization, positive body image, and appearance-related self-consciousness during physical intimacy

A Scoping Review of Black American Beauty Studies From 1995 to 2022

No One-Size-Fits-All: Critical Narrative Intervention and Archeology of Self as Anti-Racist and Anti-Colonial Practices in Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

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