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Andres FE, Boothroyd LG, Thornborrow T, Chamorro AM, Dutra NB, Brar M, Woodward R, Malik N, Sawhney M, Evans EH. Relationships between media influence, body image and sociocultural appearance ideals in Latin America: A systematic literature review. Body Image 2024; 51:101774. [PMID: 39116578 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
The rapidly growing body of research investigating media influence on body image in Latin America has not been previously comprehensively synthesised. We systematically reviewed studies of the relationships between media use/influence, body image, and sociocultural appearance ideals in Latin America (CRD42021254607). We searched PsycINFO/Medline, Pubmed, Web of Science, ERIC, Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations, SciElo, and LILACS for quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed articles and doctoral theses in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Research conducted in Latin America, published 1991-2023, measuring a) media use/influence, and b) body image or appearance ideals was included. 68 articles met inclusion criteria, and quality appraisal concluded that most were of medium/high quality. A narrative review found consistent quantitative relationships, stronger in women than men, between media use/internalisation of media ideals and both body dissatisfaction and thinner appearance ideals. In contrast, participants in qualitative studies acknowledged media influence on their body image, but perceived greater influence from family and peers. Limitations included a predominance of cross-sectional research from Brazil and Mexico with adolescents and young adults. Additional longitudinal, experimental, and interventional work from elsewhere in Latin America is needed, recruiting more diverse samples and assessing more culturally salient appearance aspects (e.g., skin tone and hair texture).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne E Andres
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
| | | | | | | | - Natália B Dutra
- Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Manjot Brar
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ruby Woodward
- School of Psychology, Newcastle University, Newcastle, United Kingdom
| | - Neetu Malik
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Manya Sawhney
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Daiy K, Frieson T, Palacio-Londono L, Barnes I, Olmedo S, Aranda P, Cirigliano F, Valeggia C. Body norms, body image, and media in a market-integrating indigenous population in Argentina: A mixed-methods investigation. Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23813. [PMID: 36196909 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between media, body norms, and body image among the Qom, a market-integrating indigenous population in Argentina that has historically idealized larger body sizes. METHODS With men and women (n = 87), we measured frequency of media/technology use through a Likert-type questionnaire. Using the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale, we asked participants to select the most healthy and ideal body size for their gender, as well as their own body size. We calculated body dissatisfaction as the difference between ideal and own body size. We conducted semi-structured interviews to describe the role of media in body norms and body image. RESULTS Media exposure was not significantly associated with perceptions of the "healthiest" or most "ideal" body sizes, nor body dissatisfaction. Men and women perceived categorically "middle-range" body sizes as both healthy and ideal, differing from a similar study in 2010, where larger bodies were favored. Interviews revealed that: media is not recognized as affecting body norms and body image, but is conceptually associated with cultural loss (Theme 1); a "dual stigma" of fatness and thinness is perpetuated by peers, family, and healthcare providers (Theme 2); and body acceptance is highly valued (Theme 3). CONCLUSION In this context, while some body norms have changed over time, the impact of media on body norms and image may be secondary to influences from individuals' social networks, and may be occluded by norms favoring body acceptance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Daiy
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Chaco Area Reproductive Ecology Program, Dept. of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Tomeka Frieson
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Chaco Area Reproductive Ecology Program, Dept. of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Ivana Barnes
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | | | | | - Claudia Valeggia
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Chaco Area Reproductive Ecology Program, Dept. of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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