Taona P. Chithambo, Stanley J. Numerous studies have reported that Black women are more satisfied with their bodies than White women. The buffering hypothesis suggests that aspects of Black culture protect Black women against media ideals that promote a slender female body type; therefore, Black women are expected to exhibit higher body esteem than White women. To test this hypothesis, the current study aimed to assess the influence of race on weight perception, perceived attractiveness, and the interrelations between body mass index BMI and perceived attractiveness among overweight and obese women.

The studies listed in the section of the book are dated back to the s, and here we are in the year of and these same ideals are still true today. The part of the text that spoke to me was the section on body ideals in relation to age, social class, ethnicity, and sexuality. She addresses the body ideals in relation to ethnicity by looking at a study held by Harris et al. Harris found that obese African American women had a more positive body image. Overall, there is a general idea that being thin equates to being beautiful in society. While this does hold some truth, this is not the case amongst the African American community. Everyone always thinks that life is much easier being thin, but having been this way my entire life I can say that this is far from the truth.

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Two weeks ago, I weighed myself and found I had lost 2kg 4. Bringing my body mass to a grand total of If I was American, someone would have probably jumped out and given me a high five,. They would have said to me. I would be the envy of all the popular girls, who would want to know what I do to stay so skinny.