Study on Body Awareness, and Health Status according to Body Mass Index of College Women in Seoul Area

Understanding Body Image and Appearance Management Behaviors Among Adult Women in South Korea Within a Sociocultural Context: A Review

“…Eight Korean language studies examined body (dis)satisfaction in their sample. Across the studies, the prevalence of body dissatisfaction ranged from 53.5% to 88.5% (Hwang, 2009; Kim, 2013; Koo & Park, 2011; Nam, Lee, & Kim, 2014; Shin, Choi, Han, & Choi, 2015; Sung, 2005). Similarly, Lee and Han (2007) found body dissatisfaction in their sample of South Korean undergraduate women, as they reported being unsatisfied with their body size and various body parts (e.g., waist, hips, and bust) despite recognizing their body size as average.…”

“…Fourteen Korean language studies examined UWCB. Across the studies, 48% to 93.3% of participants engaged in UWCB or were interested in UWCB for reasons including reducing weight and appearance purposes such as to look pretty (Ahn & Park, 2009; Hwang, 2009; Koo & Park, 2011; Nam et al, 2014; Park, Hyun, & Lee, 2015; Rho, 2007; Shin et al, 2015; Yang & Byeon, 2012). Frequency of UWCB was found to be higher in participants who were overweight or had overweight misperception (Hwang, 2009; Jung & Tae, 2004; Lee & Han, 2007), and body dissatisfaction was found to be positively related to UWCB (Byun, Lee, & Lee, 2014; Cha, 2017; Kim, 2013; Kim & Im, 2010; Nam et al, 2014).…”

“…Among the 22 English and 40 Korean language studies reviewed, general body image relevant variables examined in South Korean adult women included body (mis)perception, body (dis)satisfaction, UWCB (e.g., disordered eating), appearance management behaviors (e.g., make-up), and psychosocial functioning (e.g., depression, self-esteem). Across studies, findings suggest that South Korean adult women misperceive (i.e., usually overestimate than underestimate) their body weight as classified by their BMI (Ahn & Park, 2009; Choi et al, 2015; Kim, Kim, et al, 2008; Lee et al, 2015; Park et al, 2015; Rho, 2007; Sung, 2002), experience body dissatisfaction, and engage in disordered eating and appearance management behaviors (Hwang, 2009; Jung & Forbes, 2006, 2007; Kim, 2014b; Lee et al, 2013; Nam et al, 2014; Ryu et al, 2003; Seo, 2014; Shin et al, 2015; Woo, 2014). Cross-cultural studies indicate that South Korean undergraduate women specifically, tend to have more body dissatisfaction (Jung & Forbes, 2006, 2007; Jung & Hwang, 2016; Jung & Lee, 2006; Lee et al, 2013) and disordered eating behaviors (Jung & Forbes, 2006, 2007) than their U.S. counterparts, suggesting that they may be more critical of their bodies and have a greater desire to be thin.…”