Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder: Definitions of Attractiveness among African American and Caucasian Women

摘要

Obesity is a national epidemic affecting more than 127 million people (CDC, 2003). Nearly 78% of African American women in the nation are currently overweight or obese. Despite the negative health consequences associated with obesity, culturally mediated views of attractiveness and body image may serve as risk factors for obesity among certain ethnic groups. The traditional body image literature has been constrained by entirely focusing on body thinness as the only component of attractiveness. There is evidence to suggest that some African American women hold a multicomponent definition of attractiveness (Harris, 1990, Parker, 1995). A culturally sensitive silhouette assessment method is needed to assess these components. The current study used a Model Rating Task (MRT) that extended previous silhouette measures to include: (1) dressed models, (2) models of heavier BMI categories, and (3) shaded models to represent African Americans. With the MRT, the impact of attire, body size, and model ethnicity on definitions of attractiveness could be examined. Participants were 80 African American and 80 Caucasian women with a mean age of 41.40 years, a mean body mass index of 28.30 kg/sq m, an average educational level of 15.43 years, and average yearly income of $50,000. Mean attractiveness rating scores (ranging from 1 to 8) were compared between ethnic groups for dressed and undressed models across five BMI categories ranging from underweight to class II obesity. Participant ethnicity did not affect overall attractiveness scores. However, model presentation did with both African Americans and Caucasians rating dressed models more attractive than undressed models. Contrary to expectations, participant ethnic identity and SES did not differentially impact the effects of participant ethnicity or model attire status on attractiveness. Using regression analysis, model dress was the only significant predictor of attractiveness with higher ratings for dressed models.