“Skinny is prettier and normal: I want to be normal”—Perceived body image of non-Western ethnic minority children in the Netherlands

Veldhuis, Jolanda; Poel, Fam te; Pepping, Rian; Konijn, Elly A.; Spekman, M.L.C.

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.11.006

Cited by 21 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Furthermore, the majority of girls and all boy wished to be tall. These nding are consistent with ndings from other parts of the world that have suggested a preference for thinness and tallness [23][24][25][26][27][28]. The preference for slim body by Iranian adolescents in the current study, is in accordance with thin idealization in Western culture.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

The Main Components of Body Image from the Perspectives of Iranian Adolescents: A Qualitative Study

Jalali-Farahani

Amiri

Zarani

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: This study investigates main components of body image from the perspectives of Iranian boys and girls. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to identify the main components of body image in Iranian adolescents. A total of 13 semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with 84 adolescents (42 girls and 42 boys), aged 15–18 years. All focus group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, followed by a qualitative content analysis of the data.Results: The mean age and BMI of participants were 16.2±0.9 years and 24.3±8.0 kg/m2 respectively. Regarding main components of body image, three main themes emerged from the data: 1) perceived face/hair, which included three subthemes-facial features, facial shape/form and hair, 2) perceived body, which included three subthemes-body size, body shape and bone structure and 3) perceived physical functioning which included three subthemes-physical ability, physical health and voice tone. Among mentioned themes, perceived body was the concept which was most frequently addressed by both adolescent boys and girls. When adolescents were talking about their bodies, girls more frequently mentioned their faces and its components, while boys tended to talk more about their physical functioning. Conclusion: This qualitative study provide further insight into the components of body image as perceived by Iranian boys and girls. Current findings indicated that besides those features that focused on body appearance and its aesthetic aspects, physical functioning was another main component of perceived body image by participants. These findings can contribute to the design and implementation of effective interventions aiming at improving body image and its related disorders in Iranian adolescents.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

The Main Components of Body Image from the Perspectives of Iranian Adolescents: A Qualitative Study

Jalali-Farahani

Amiri

Zarani

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Our cross-sectional study also showed that among the children dissatisfied with their body images, majority desired to have a thinner body. Similar results were reported among children of immigrants from other countries also (Gualdi-Russo et al, 2012;Kimber, Couturier, Georgiades, Wahoush, & Jack, 2015;Olvera, Suminski, & Power, 2005;Pallan et al, 2011;Toselli et al, 2014;Veldhuis, te Poel, Pepping, Konijn, & Spekman, 2017). The children who adopted weight loss strategies were also higher from LMICs backgrounds, relative to their peers, despite little difference in their body weights.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Intergenerational Contradictions in Body Image Standards Among Australian Immigrant Mothers and Children: A Mixed-Methods Study

Zulfiqar¹,

DʼEste²,

Strazdins³

et al. 2020

GJHS

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In this mixed-methods study, we explored how gender and cultural factors, including social status were linked with children’s immigrant backgrounds and their body image dissatisfaction and weight management strategies in Australia. Cross-sectional data analysis of 10-11-year-old children from the Birth cohort of the “Longitudinal Study of Australian Children” showed that approximately half of the children were dissatisfied with their body images. A higher proportion of these were children of immigrants from low-and-middle-income-countries. Additionally, about three-quarters children were actively managing their weights. Children of immigrants from low-and-middle-income-countries constituted a higher proportion of these also. Among boys, desiring a heavier body was highest for those with immigrant mothers from low-and-middle-income-countries, while the desire to be thinner was highest among girls of immigrants from low-and-middle-income-countries. Although the percentage of children who adopted strategies to gain weight was very small, boys of immigrants from low-and-middle-income-countries, in particular, were almost three times as likely as non-immigrant boys, to try to gain weight (18% vs 5.9%, respectively). Qualitative face-to-face interviews with immigrant mothers and their 8-11-year-old children revealed intergenerational variations in body image standards. Maternal body image standards were drawn from their origin countries, but children followed Australian norms. Despite increased obesity awareness amongst mothers, they desired higher body weight for their children, due to an association with high status and health in origin countries. However, children were aware of the stigma, unpopularity, and low status associated with high body weights in Australia. To reduce cultural and status-based obesity inequalities, Australian obesity prevention plans must include culturally responsive health promotion strategies for immigrant parents and their children to improve their knowledge about healthy weights and weight management strategies.

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“…Veldhuis et al, 2014a). Although cultural differences should be acknowledged, similar cultivation processes among non-Western minority children are found (Veldhuis, te Poel, Pepping, Konijn, & Spekman, 2017). Possibly, it is more important for late adolescent girls to give the commonly available thin-ideal bodies the correct rating (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Brain activation upon ideal-body media exposure and peer feedback in late adolescent girls

Meulen

Veldhuis²,

Braams

et al. 2017

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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Media’s prevailing thin-body ideal plays a vital role in adolescent girls’ body image development, but the co-occurring impact of peer feedback is understudied. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test media imagery and peer feedback combinations on neural activity related to thin-body ideals. Twenty-four healthy female late adolescents rated precategorized body sizes of bikini models (too thin or normal), directly followed by ostensible peer feedback (too thin or normal). Consistent with prior studies on social feedback processing, results showed increased brain activity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC)/anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and bilateral insula in incongruent situations: when participants rated media models’ body size as normal while peer feedback indicated the models as too thin (or vice versa). This effect was stronger for girls with lower self-esteem. A subsequent behavioral study (N = 34 female late adolescents, separate sample) demonstrated that participants changed behavior in the direction of the peer feedback: precategorized normal sized models were rated as too thin more often after receiving too thin peer feedback. This suggests that the neural responses upon peer feedback may influence subsequent choice. Our results show that media-by-peer interactions have pronounced effects on girls’ body ideals.

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“Skinny is prettier and normal: I want to be normal”—Perceived body image of non-Western ethnic minority children in the Netherlands

Cited by 21 publications

References 46 publications

The Main Components of Body Image from the Perspectives of Iranian Adolescents: A Qualitative Study

The Main Components of Body Image from the Perspectives of Iranian Adolescents: A Qualitative Study

Intergenerational Contradictions in Body Image Standards Among Australian Immigrant Mothers and Children: A Mixed-Methods Study

Brain activation upon ideal-body media exposure and peer feedback in late adolescent girls

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