Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b6zl4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-02T03:41:15.942Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cross-cultural differences in the perception of female body shapes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Adrian Furnham  and
Naznin Alibhai
Adrian Furnham*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University College London
Naznin Alibhai
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University College London
*
1 Address for correspondence: Dr A. F. Furnham, Department of Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

Whereas in Western societies there is an inverse relationship between high social class and low body weight, the inverse is true of less developed, non-Western societies. It has also been shown that the longer immigrants have been in Western societies, the less obese they tend to be. This study examined how Kenyan Asian, British and Kenyan British females from similar backgrounds perceived female body shapes. As predicted, the Kenyans rated larger figures more favourably and smaller figures less favourably than the British. Also, as predicted, it was found that the Kenyan Asian British were more similar to the British group in their perceptions. The results support the view that social and cultural factors play dominant role in the perception of one's own and others' body shapes. In addition, the results reveal that in Britain preferences for small body shapes to the point of being anorexic are not uncommon.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , November 1983 , pp. 829 - 837
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allon, N. (1973). The stigma of overweight in everyday life: obesity in perspective. In Fogarty International Center Series on Preventive Medicine, Vol. 2, Part 2 (ed. Bray, G. A.), pp. 83–102. US Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Baird, I. M., Silverstone, J. T. & Grimshaw, J. J. (1974). The prevalence of obesity in a London borough. The Practitioner 212, 706–714.Google Scholar
Beck, S. B., Ward-Hull, C. I. & McLear, P. M. (1976). Variables related to women's somatic preferences of the male and female body. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 34, 1200–1210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjurulf, P. & Lindgren, G. (1964). A preliminary study on overweight in the south of Sweden. In Occurrences, Causes and Prevention of Overnutrition (ed. Blix, G.), pp. 9–15. Almquist and Wiksell: Uppsala.Google Scholar
Boskind-Lodahl, M. (1976). Cinderella's stepsisters: a feminist perspective on anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2, 342–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruch, H. (1957). The Importance of Overweight. W. W. Norton: New York.Google Scholar
Bruch, H. (1973). Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa and the Person Within. Basic Books: New York.Google Scholar
Bruch, H. (1978). The Golden Cage. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass.Google Scholar
Calden, G., Lundy, R. M. & Schlafer, R. J. (1959). Sex differences in body concepts. Journal of Consulting Psychology 27, 115–222.Google Scholar
Chang, K. S., Lee, M. M. & Low, W. D. (1963). Height and weight of Southern Chinese children in Hong Kong. American Journal of Physiological Anthropology 21, 497–509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dally, P. & Gomez, J. (1980). Obesity and Anorexia Nervosa: A Question of Shape. Faber and Faber: London.Google Scholar
Douty, H. I., Moore, J. B. & Hartford, D. (1974). Body characteristics in relation to life adjustment, body-image and attitudes of college females. Perceptual and Motor Skills 39, 499–521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fransella, F. & Crisp, A. H. (1971). Conceptual organization and weight change. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 27, 80–95.Google Scholar
Furnham, A. (1981). Self-monitoring and social perception. Perceptual and Motor Skills 53, 3–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garb, J. L., Garb, J. R. & Stunkard, A. J. (1975). Social factors and obesity in Navoho Indian children. In Recent Advances in Obesity Research (ed. Howard, A.), pp. 37–39. Newman: London.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1978). Socio-cultural factors in anorexia nervosa. Lancet ii, 674.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Schwartz, D. & Thompson, M. (1980). Cultural expectations of thinness in women. Psychological Reports 47, 483–491.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ghai, Y. & Ghai, D. (1976). The Asian Minorities of East and Central Africa. MGP: London.Google Scholar
Goldblatt, P. B., Moore, M. E. & Stunkard, A. J. (1965). Social factors in obesity. Journal of the American Medical Society 192 (12), 1039–1044.Google ScholarPubMed
Jourard, S. M. & Secord, P. M. (1955). Body-cathexis and the ideal female figure. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 50, 243–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelly, G. A. (1955). The Psychology of Personal Constructs, Vols. 1 and 2. W. W. Norton: New York.Google Scholar
Kleinke, C. H. & Staneski, R. A. (1980). First impressions of female bust size. Journal of Social Psychology 110, 123–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leraer, R. M., Karabenick, S. A. & Stuart, J. L. (1973). Relations among physical attractiveness, body attitudes, and self-concept in male and female college students. Journal of Psychology 85, 119–129.Google Scholar
Leon, G. R. (1982). Personality and behavioural correlates of obesity. In Psychological Aspects of Obesity: A Handbook (ed. Wolman, B. R.), pp. 15–29. Van Nostrand Reinhold: New York.Google Scholar
Mayer, J. (1955). The role of exercise and activity in weight control. In Weight Control (ed. Eppright, E. S.Swanson, P. and Iverson, C. A.). Iowa State College Press: Iowa.Google Scholar
Moore, M. E., Stunkard, A. J. & Srole, L. (1962). Obesity, social class and mental illness. Journal of the American Medical Association 181, 962–966.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palazzoli, M. P. (1974). Anorexia Nervosa. Chaucer: London.Google Scholar
Powers, P. S. (1980). Obesity: The Regulation of Weight. Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore.Google Scholar
Richardson, S. A., Hastorf, A. H., Goodman, N. & Dornbusch, S. M. (1961). Cultural uniformity in reaction to physical disabilities. American Sociological Review 26, 241–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudofsky, B. (1972). The Unfashionable Human Body. Doubleday: New York.Google Scholar
Silverstone, J. T. (1970). Obesity and social class. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 18, 226–230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silverstone, J. T., Gordon, R. A. P. & Stunkard, A. J. (1969). Social factors in obesity in London. The Practitioner 202, 682–688.Google Scholar
Singer, J. E. & Lamb, P. F. (1966). Social concern, body size and birth order. Journal of Social Psychology 68, 143–151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stunkard, A. J. (1977). Obesity and the social environment: current status, future prospects. Proceedings of the New York Academy of Sciences 300, 298–320.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stunkard, A. J. (ed.) (1980). Obesity. W. B. Saunders: Toronto.Google ScholarPubMed
West, K. M. (1974). Epidemiology of adiposity in regulation of the adipose tissue mass.Proceedings of the IV International Conference Meeting of Endocrinology,Marseilles,1973, pp. 202–207. Excerpta Medica: Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Wiggins, J. S., Wiggins, N. & Conger, J. C. (1968). Correlates of heterosexual somatic preference. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 10, 82–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed