(PS8-B30) Body Image Discrepancy in Diverse Individuals

The prevalence of thinness-related body dissatisfaction is well-established among women. However, women’s body dissatisfaction may go beyond thinness to include concerns of muscularity and curviness. Furthermore, studies suggest that women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds may experience thinness, muscularity, and curviness-related dissatisfaction to different extents. The aims of the present study were to examine college women’s body shape dissatisfaction related to thinness, muscularity, and curviness using figure rating scales and matrices and investigate race/ethnicity as moderator of body dissatisfaction. It was hypothesized that all women would report thinness and muscularity-related body dissatisfaction and that Hispanic and Black women would report more curviness-related body dissatisfaction than White women. A total of 94 women between the ages of 18 and 25 (M_age = 19.6, SD_age = 1.51; M_BMI = 26.77, SD_BMI = 7.59) who identified as either White (N = 32), Black (N = 30), or Hispanic (N = 32) reported their actual and ideal figures using the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale (SFRS; thinness), the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity (thinness, muscularity), and the Curvy Ideal Silhouette Scale (thinness, curviness). Multilevel modeling was used to test hypotheses. Hypotheses were partially supported. Overall, women selected significantly thinner (across all scales), curvier, and more muscular ideal figures than actual figures. Few differences across racial/ethnic groups were observed. Black women reported larger ideal figures (M = 3.51) than White women (M = 3.03), but only using the thin-only rating scale (SFRS). Latina women selected less muscular actual figures (M = 1.68) than White women (M = 2.65). Results suggest that women generally experience body dissatisfaction across multiple body ideal dimensions (i.e., thinness, muscularity, curviness) and that these concerns may exist irrespective of racial/ethnic background. Body image prevention and intervention programs would benefit from addressing multiple body shape ideals with all women.