Obesity and Body Ideals in the Media: Health and Fitness Practices of Young African-American Women
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| Title: | Obesity and Body Ideals in the Media: Health and Fitness Practices of Young African-American Women |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Duncan, Margaret Carlisle, Robinson, T. Tavita |
| Source: | Quest. Feb 2004 56(1):77-104. |
| Availability: | Human Kinetics, Inc. 1607 North Market Street, Champaign, IL 61820. Tel: 800-474-4457; Fax: 217-351-1549; e-mail: info@hkusa.com; Web site: http://www.humankinetics.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Physical Description: | |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2004 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Obesity, Group Discussion, Females, Self Concept, Focus Groups, Mass Media Effects, Context Effect, African Americans, Young Adults, Cultural Differences, Human Body, Attitudes, Racial Differences, Literature Reviews, Physical Health, Physical Fitness |
| ISSN: | 0033-6297 |
| Abstract: | This study explores the female body ideal and its implications for health and fitness practices in African-American culture. Employing Patricia Hill Collins's (1986) notion of the "outsider-within," we analyze a focus group discussion on women's body ideals, exercise, and fitness. Our group comprises 9 young, college-educated African-American women who reject the White-American ideal of thinness, yet recognize that the "thick" (full-figured) African-American ideal is problematic, especially when considered in the context of the dominant culture's biomedical model. Prompted by their examination of popular mass media images selected by the coauthors, the women discursively negotiate between two contrasting cultural standards: an unrealistically slender body ideal and a heavier body weight and shape that may lend itself to the kinds of diseases associated with obesity. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 43 |
| Entry Date: | 2008 |
| Access URL: | https://www.humankinetics.com/QUEST/viewarticle.cfm?jid=fP3g68VH66cLj6LuHNbk7Gk3gNB2RPW7M3HfrAFqrZxuMfF44&aid=2731&site=fP3g68VH66cLj6LuHNbk7Gk3gNB2RPW7M3HfrAFqrZxuMfF44 |
| Accession Number: | EJ815773 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study explores the female body ideal and its implications for health and fitness practices in African-American culture. Employing Patricia Hill Collins's (1986) notion of the "outsider-within," we analyze a focus group discussion on women's body ideals, exercise, and fitness. Our group comprises 9 young, college-educated African-American women who reject the White-American ideal of thinness, yet recognize that the "thick" (full-figured) African-American ideal is problematic, especially when considered in the context of the dominant culture's biomedical model. Prompted by their examination of popular mass media images selected by the coauthors, the women discursively negotiate between two contrasting cultural standards: an unrealistically slender body ideal and a heavier body weight and shape that may lend itself to the kinds of diseases associated with obesity. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0033-6297 |
