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As body image issues continue to plague women worldwide, a new study highlights the unique cultural, familial, and societal factors influencing Hispanic women’s relationship with their bodies. Research conducted by Sarah Johnson-Munguia, a graduate student at the University of Kansas, explores the intersection of culture and body image, focusing on how cultural values surrounding food, family, and identity can complicate the challenges faced by Latine women.
The study, published in Body Image, examines the factors that contribute to both positive and negative body image among Hispanic women—a group that experiences high rates of body dissatisfaction and increasing risk for eating disorders. Johnson-Munguia’s work highlights a key barrier for many in this community: the lack of culturally relevant approaches in the identification and treatment of eating disorders.
“There’s a lot of stereotypes in the eating disorder world around who has eating disorders and what they look like,” Johnson-Munguia said. “It’s a population that’s been historically underrepresented in the field, and because of that, understudied.”
Eating disorders are among the most dangerous mental health conditions, affecting up to 9% of the U.S. population. Yet, research and clinical practices have often overlooked the cultural contexts that shape body image for ethnic and racial minority groups, including Hispanic women. According to Johnson-Munguia, understanding how culture influences body image is critical for improving treatment outcomes and offering more accessible care for these women.
Her research, which originated from her master’s thesis, involved in-depth interviews with 19 Hispanic women who shared their experiences with body image. The study delved into how cultural values and family expectations can create conflicting pressures on women. Many women reported navigating mixed messages related to body image—often related to food and eating—leading to confusion and tension. For example, at family gatherings, these women might be encouraged to eat more by relatives who express concern over their weight, only to be criticized for overeating moments later. As one participant shared, “You’ll go see your grandma and your grandma is telling you to eat more, eat more, you’re so skinny. But then when you’re not being prompted by somebody else to eat a lot and you go get a second plate or get a second bowl of something, and they’re like, ‘Oh wow, you’re eating a lot.’”
Such experiences of “self-objectification” occur when women internalize societal pressures to look a certain way, often compounded by experiences of ethnic, racial, and sexual objectification. This dual burden contributes to body dissatisfaction and increases the likelihood of developing eating disorders.
However, the study also uncovered factors that contribute positively to body image. Many participants described how connecting with their cultural heritage, especially through activities like dancing, helped them develop a more positive view of their bodies. As one respondent expressed, “I love to dance, and I feel like dancing and music is just part of me… to dance slowly, with passion, you need to be comfortable with yourself, and I feel like that really connects me to my culture.”
Johnson-Munguia noted that many participants’ positive body image was deeply intertwined with their identity as Hispanic women, highlighting the importance of culture in shaping body ideals. This finding suggests that understanding body image through the lens of cultural identity can be a key factor in promoting better self-esteem and mental health outcomes.
The research also supports the growing interest in functionality-focused body image (FFBI) programs, which emphasize what the body can do rather than how it looks. Such programs have shown promise in improving body image by helping individuals focus on their bodies’ abilities rather than societal standards of beauty. Johnson-Munguia noted, “Instead of thinking about how your arms are fat, thinking about how your arms allow you to hug the people around you that you love.” These approaches could be particularly effective for Latine women, especially when adapted to reflect their cultural values and lived experiences.
For clinicians working with diverse populations, Johnson-Munguia’s research underscores the importance of culturally adapted treatments. She emphasized that “if someone doesn’t see themselves represented in the program, they’re not going to want to do it or get as much out of it.” Tailoring interventions to better reflect the unique experiences of ethnic and racial minorities, she said, could lead to more effective treatment outcomes.
By using a qualitative approach, Johnson-Munguia’s study provides a nuanced, in-depth understanding of how Hispanic women navigate body image in the context of their cultural and familial experiences. This method allows for the exploration of individual stories and insights that might be overlooked in quantitative studies.
As the research points out, understanding the cultural factors that influence body image is crucial for developing more inclusive and effective treatment strategies for eating disorders. For Johnson-Munguia, this study is just the beginning of a much-needed shift in how clinicians approach body image and eating disorders among Hispanic women.
Source: Sarah Johnson-Munguia et al, “There aren’t a lot of things that are made for Latinos”: A qualitative investigation of factors that contribute to Latine women’s positive and negative body image, Body Image (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101802
