White women ‘less confident about their bodies’ than other women, study claims

White women are less confident about their bodies than women from other cultures, according to a new study.

The researchers found that Western women also experience more media pressure to be thin than black Nigerian and Chinese women of all ages.

The study, conducted by Durham University psychologists, examined the influences of age and socio-cultural pressures on “body esteem” – feelings of positivity and pride in one’s body – among white Western, black Nigerian and Chinese women.

The researchers found that all three groups had relatively stable body esteem across ages, but there were “significant” cultural differences.

It found that white Western women experienced much higher media pressure to conform to thin or athletic body ideals throughout their lives.

The pressure decreased with age but, even at the lowest level, the pressure felt by Western women was still higher than for other ethnic groups.

Black Nigerian women scored the highest body esteem and significantly less media pressure regarding body image. Pressure also decreased with age.

Chinese women reported higher persistent family and peer pressure about body image, but media-related pressure was less and decreased with age for them.

The study, which involved more than 1,100 women aged 18 to 80, aimed to gain new insights into the influences of culture and age on body esteem – two aspects that have had limited research focus to date.

Participants were asked to complete questionnaires to understand more about their sense of body esteem and the pressures they experience around body image from family, peers and the media.

The findings, published in the journal PLOS One. showed that Western white women reported significantly more media pressure than other participants, but also endorsed a thin or less athletic body type as they grew older.

Black Nigerian women did not show a strong pressure towards a thin or athletic body and reported higher levels of body esteem.

But they also reported higher levels of performance peer pressure, which decreased with age.

Chinese women mostly continued to endorse a thin body type at all ages, but reported less media pressure than white women.

Women in all three cultures experienced similar levels of family pressure, but the study showed that it decreased “significantly” for white Western and black Nigerian women as they got older. However, it remained high for Chinese women.

Study leader Louise Hanson said: “Most body esteem research to date has focused on young white Western women.

“We wanted to broaden the scope and include older women and other cultures as these groups have historically been ignored.

“We found that body esteem was relatively stable across all ages, and sociocultural pressure was evident across cultures.

“However, the degree to which this pressure was experienced and where it came from varied between cultures.”

Ms Hanson, a PhD student at Durham University’s Department of Psychology, added: “Based on our results, we suggest that when developing interventions to increase body esteem, experts should consider all age groups, not just younger women .

“Furthermore, there is also a need for interventions to be tailored to account for cultural differences, such as greater media literacy for Western white women who reported the highest pressure in this area.”

The research team hopes their findings will help encourage more studies on body esteem and body image for women over 30.

In practical terms, they believe their findings indicate that body esteem interventions should consider all age groups – and look at where they can be culturally targeted to improve effectiveness.

The team also hopes that the study can act as a springboard to encourage more cross-cultural studies to better understand the cultural dynamics that influence body esteem.