The Double Binds of Our Bodies

Yokoyama, Kayoko

doi:10.1300/j015v30n03_13

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Most conformed most closely to a cultural accommodation approach (see Leong & Lee, 2006), in which important cultural concepts are integrated into established treatment methods. Many interventions reported were consistent with recommendations made by authors who have written theoretically about treatment with Asian American women with EDs (e.g.. Ting & Hwang, 2007;Yokoyama, 2007). For example, many of the therapists employed CBT strategies in response to their clients' negative beliefs about their faces and challenged the culturally loaded thinness ethic, and some specifically attended to intemalized racism and discrimination experiences.…”

Section: Discussion and Implications For Practicesupporting

confidence: 61%

“…A number of clients disliked their faces to the point of body dysmorphia. The inability to meet the dominant culture's definition of beauty may contribute to Asian American women's vulnerability to EDs (Yokoyama, 2007); the present study suggests that distress over facial features may be a specific risk factor for some. Smolak and Striegel-Moore (2001) stated that acculturation should be studied as a possible unique risk factor for ethnic minority women.…”

Section: Discussion and Implications For Practicementioning

confidence: 68%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Therapists' experiences treating Asian American women with eating disorders.

Smart¹,

Tsong²,

Mejía³

et al. 2011

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

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How do psychologists treat eating disorders (EDs) and subclinical issues in Asian American women in a culturally competent manner? Disordered eating and body dissatisfaction are so common in women that most therapists work with the issues to some degree, and it is increasingly likely they will see women of color. Asian American women are at significant risk and yet little treatment literature exists. Twelve therapists with experience in ED treatment were interviewed about their work with Asian American women. Grounded theory and consensual qualitative analysis methods were used to analyze the data, resulting in two central domains of conceptualization within the cultural context and treatment approach. Therapists reported that their clients were mostly first-and second-generation Americans who experienced acculturation stress and cultural conflict, particularly with elders. Other results suggested therapists perceived a strong connection between clients' desires to be thin and successful, and clients' efforts to conform to traditional Asian cultural values and fit in with U.S. mainstream culture. Therapists emphasized the cultural contextualization of family dynamics, developmental processes (e.g., individuation), and intergenerational conflicts. They viewed EDs as providing clients with culturally congruent coping strategies to affectively disconnect and to express distress. Treatment themes centered on psychoeducation and the importance of including parents in the treatment of their adult daughters. Helping clients navigate autonomy within the family and cultural context, and challenging clients and parents on the cultural (both Asian and mainstream U.S.) pressures regarding achievement and beauty were particularly important. Implications for therapy are discussed.

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Section: Discussion and Implications For Practicesupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Discussion and Implications For Practicementioning

confidence: 68%

Therapists' experiences treating Asian American women with eating disorders.

Smart¹,

Tsong²,

Mejía³

et al. 2011

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is widely speculated that a risk for body and eating disturbance in AA women is the impossibility of meeting Western ideals of beauty (Hall, 1995;Yokoyama, 2007), and a recent study found that AA women were impacted by internalization of Western thinness ideals in ways similar to those of the European American This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, Jung and Forbes (2006) asserted that EDs are not due to Western influence alone, but may be coping strategies used in the face of rapid social change, in which new economic opportunities and increasing freedoms are in conflict with traditional values. It has been hypothesized, for example, that EDs provide Asian and AA women a way of managing family and gender role distress without violating traditional gender norms (Pike & Borovoy, 2004;Yokoyama, 2007). The issues are complex, both in Asian countries and for Asian women in the U.S., and this may also be why no clear picture has emerged with regard to acculturation and disordered eating (Cummins et al, 2005;Wonderlich, Joiner, Williamson, & Crosby, 2007).…”

Section: Disordered Eating In Asian American Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weight, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating: Asian American women’s perspectives.

Smart¹,

Tsong²

2014

Asian American Journal of Psychology

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Asian American women experience disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, which puts them at risk for eating disorders and medical complications, as well as depression, anxiety, and related mental health issues. Help-seeking is low, and clinician bias hampers referral for adequate treatment, suggesting need for greater understanding of cultural context. Asian Americans experience many of the same risk factors as do other groups; however, research has not examined their phenomenological experiences of these issues in the cultural context, or their perceptions of what has helped them heal. To address this gap in the literature, modified consensual qualitative analysis (CQR-M) was used to analyze written narratives from 109 Asian American women who identified as having had concerns with weight, body, or eating, out of 354 Asian American women who responded to an online survey on eating behaviors and attitudes, and family relationships. They were asked to describe (a) any problems with weight, body, and eating; (b) their perceptions of the causes; and (c) their perceptions of what had helped them heal (if that was the case). Results indicated that weight gain, mild body dissatisfaction, and desire to be thinner were the most common experiences, and nearly one quarter had engaged in disordered eating. Participants' perceptions of the causes included Asian culture's emphasis on thinness, family criticism of weight, developmental events, and comparison to other Asian women. They reported that positive changes came primarily from social support, increased physical activity, and a shift toward internal validation. Implications for clinical practice are provided.

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“…Our study has a number of important counseling implications. Given Asian American women are assumed to not experience body dissatisfaction (Yokoyama, 2007), clinicians may minimize the severity of body image concerns for this population. Our results reiterate the importance of using culturally validated assessments and techniques to identify beliefs and feelings about salient features that are not captured in the present body image measures (Cummins et al, 2005).…”

Section: Practice Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asian American Women’s Body Image Experiences

Brady

Kaya

Iwamoto

et al. 2017

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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The purpose of our study was to explore Asian American women's body image experiences from an intersectional framework. Utilizing grounded theory methodology, we sought to understand how gender and race intersect with unique experiences of oppression to contribute to body dissatisfaction among Asian American women. Twenty Asian American undergraduate women born in the United States participated in semi-structured interviews. The core category "body image" was composed of attitudes and perceptions about body weight, shape, and size; facial features (e.g., eye size); and skin complexion or tone. Five categories emerged that informed the body image experiences of Asian American women: (1) navigating cultural beauty norms, (2) experiences of sexism and racism, (3) parental influences, (4) peer influences, and (5) identity management processes. Each of these categories appeared to have both positive and negative consequences for appearance evaluation, ranging from self-consciousness to confidence. Participants also described coping strategies for managing these experiences. We encourage psychologists and clinicians to consider culture-specific beauty standards for Asian American women as well as salient racial and cultural factors (e.g., perceived discrimination and biculturative stress) that may influence body image beliefs. Our results offer a new model for understanding Asian American women's body dissatisfaction as rooted in experiences of racism and sexism.

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The Double Binds of Our Bodies

Cited by 14 publications

References 47 publications

Therapists' experiences treating Asian American women with eating disorders.

Therapists' experiences treating Asian American women with eating disorders.

Weight, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating: Asian American women’s perspectives.

Asian American Women’s Body Image Experiences

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