Becoming and being gendered through the body: older women, their mothers and body image

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 701-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE ◽  
MERIDITH GRIFFIN
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Women's Body Image ◽  
Mother Daughter Relationship ◽  
The Life Course

ABSTRACTFollowing West and Zimmerman's (1987) theoretical understanding of how gender identities are created and maintained, this paper examines the ways in which older women learned from their mothers how ‘to do gender’ through their bodies and specifically their physical appearances. Extracts from semi-structured interviews with 44 women aged 50 to 70 years have been drawn upon to identify and discuss the ways in which women perceive, manage and present their bodies using socially-constructed ideals of beauty and femininity. More specifically, three ways that women learned ‘to do gender’ are examined: from their mothers' criticisms and compliments about their appearance at different stages of the lifecourse; from their mothers' attitudes towards their own bodies when young and in late adulthood; and from the interviewees' own later-life experiences and choices about ‘beauty work’. Interpretative feminism is employed to analyse how the women exercised agency while constructing body-image meanings in a social context that judges women on their ability to achieve and maintain the prevailing ideal of female beauty. The study extends previous research into the influence of the mother-daughter relationship on young women's body image. The findings suggest that mothers are important influences on their daughters' socialisation into body-image and beauty work, and exert, or are perceived to exert, accountability across the life-course.

Older women's body image: a lifecourse perspective

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1197-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
TONI LIECHTY ◽  
CAREEN M. YARNAL
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Community Attitudes ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Metropolitan County ◽  
Women's Body Image ◽  
Women And Girls

ABSTRACTBody-image research has focused on younger women and girls, and tended to ignore women in later life, although recent studies have called for more research into the body image of older women, particularly from a lifecourse perspective. The lifecourse perspective can address the complexity of body image by identifying personal and/or environmental factors that shape body image and the trajectories of body image across the lifecourse. Accordingly the purpose of the study reported in this paper was to explore older women's body image using a lifecourse perspective. We conducted individual interviews and follow-up focus groups with 13 women aged 60–69 years, all of them resident in a United States non-metropolitan county (its largest city having a population of 38,420) and having lived in the country for more than 30 years. The findings highlight the influence of inter-personal relationships (e.g. with a spouse or parent), the macro-environment (e.g. media or community attitudes) and key life events (e.g. physiological changes or educational experiences) that shaped body image at various life stages. In addition, the findings demonstrate that as women age, they de-prioritise appearance in favour of health or internal characteristics. Finally, the findings highlight the complexity of body image as a construct, which includes attitudes toward appearance, evaluations of health and physical ability, and assessments of appearance.

Anorexia Nervosa and Depression in a Woman Blind since the Age of Nine Months

1993 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 469-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford W. Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Older Women ◽  
The Body ◽  
Atypical Presentation ◽  
History Of

A woman aged 58 who has been blind since the age of nine months presented with major depression and a 40 year history of an eating disorder characterized by a restriction of food intake and body disparagement. The case is additional evidence that a specifically visual body image is not essential for the development of anorexia nervosa and supports the view that the concept of body image is unnecessary and unproductive in eating disorders. Greater emphasis should be placed on attitudes and feelings toward the body, and the possibility of an eating disorder should be considered in cases of older women with an atypical presentation.

Growing Older

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Terrill ◽  
Judith Gullifer
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structured Interviews

This study explored experiences of eight rural, Anglo-Australian women aged between 65 and 75 using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed three prominent themes: (a) the free and busy me highlights the increased freedom in later life enabling choices regarding activities the women would like to engage in; (b) the secret is being positive and pragmatic emphasizes the importance of adopting a pragmatic acceptance of growing older; and (c) narratives of growth and stagnation highlights the pursuit of growth among older women in order to enhance the current self. Findings emphasize the construction of later life as one of liberation, resilience and growth.

Beauty in Later Life: Older Women's Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Hurd Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Fashion Models ◽  
Beauty Ideals ◽  
Female Bodies ◽  
Using Data

ABSTRACTUsing data from 96 hours of semi-structured interviews with women aged 61 to 92, this paper explores the meanings that older women attribute to beauty and aging. The women in my study tend to equate physical attractiveness with youthfulness and slimness. However, they reject the extremes of thinness embodied in today's fashion models and actresses. Even as they disparage obese individuals, the women argue that thin older women appear scrawny. The women express a preference for more rounded female bodies than current beauty standards allow and emphasize the importance of inner beauty. While some women view their wrinkles negatively, others suggest that their facial creases are badges of honour. I argue that older women do not simply internalize beauty ideals to the detriment of their sense of self. Rather, older women resist and challenge current ideals of feminine attractiveness and suggest alternative beauty ideals and definitions of personal desirability.

scholarly journals #BoPo on Instagram: An experimental investigation of the effects of viewing body positive content on young women’s mood and body image

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1546-1564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Cohen ◽  
Jasmine Fardouly ◽  
Toby Newton-John ◽  
Amy Slater
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Body Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
The Body ◽  
Thin Ideal ◽  
Body Appreciation ◽  
Women's Body Image ◽  
Body Positive ◽  
Self Objectification ◽  
Positive Content

Body-positive content on social media aims to challenge mainstream beauty ideals and encourage acceptance and appreciation of all body types. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of viewing body-positive Instagram posts on young women’s mood and body image. Participants were 195 young women (18–30 years old) who were randomly allocated to view either body-positive, thin-ideal, or appearance-neutral Instagram posts. Results showed that brief exposure to body positive posts was associated with improvements in young women’s positive mood, body satisfaction and body appreciation, relative to thin-ideal and appearance-neutral posts. In addition, both thin-ideal and body-positive posts were associated with increased self-objectification relative to appearance-neutral posts. Finally, participants showed favourable attitudes towards the body positive accounts with the majority being willing to follow them in the future. It was concluded that body-positive content may offer a fruitful avenue for improving young women’s body image, although further research is necessary to fully understand the effects on self-objectification.

Body image and eating disorders are common in professional and amateur athletes using performance and image-enhancing drugs (pieds). A cross-sectional study

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S144-S144
Author(s):  
D. Piacentino ◽  
L. Longo ◽  
A. Pavan ◽  
S. Ferracuti ◽  
R. Brugnoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Body Dysmorphic Disorder ◽  
The Body ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Amateur Athletes ◽  
Image Enhancing ◽  
Psychopathological Disorders

IntroductionThe use of Performance and Image-Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs) is on the increase and appears to be associated with several psychopathological disorders, whose prevalence in unclear.Objectives/AimsWe aimed to evaluate the differences–if any–in the prevalence of body image disorders (BIDs) and eating disorders (EDs) in PIEDs users athletes vs. PIEDs nonusers ones.MethodsWe enrolled 84 consecutive professional and amateur athletes (35.8% females; age range = 18–50), training in several sports centers in Italy. They underwent structured interviews (SCID I/SCID II) and completed the Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI) and the Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food Eating Disorder Screening Test (SCOFF). Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test were used for comparisons.ResultsOf the 84 athletes, 18 (21.4%) used PIEDs. The most common PIEDs were anabolic androgenic steroids, amphetamine-like substances, cathinones, ephedrine, and caffeine derivatives (e.g. guarana). The two groups did not differ in socio-demographic characteristics, but differed in anamnestic and psychopathological ones, with PIEDs users athletes being characterized by significantly (P-values < 0.05) higher physical activity levels, consuming more coffee, cigarettes, and psychotropic medications (e.g. benzodiazepines) per day, presenting more SCID diagnoses of psychiatric disorders, especially Substance Use Disorders, Eating Disorders, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and General Anxiety Disorders, showing higher BICI scores, which indicate a higher risk of BDD, and higher SCOFF scores, which suggest a higher risk of BIDs and EDs.ConclusionsIn PIEDs users athletes body image and eating disorders, and more in general psychopathological disorders, are more common than in PIEDs nonusers athletes.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Body Image, Sexual Function, and Sexual Satisfaction Among Couples Before and After Gynecologic Cosmetic Surgery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahereh Eftekhar ◽  
Marzieh Hajibabaei ◽  
Firoozeh Veisi ◽  
Zinat Ghanbari ◽  
Ali Montazeri
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Sexual Function ◽  
Sexual Satisfaction ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
The Body ◽  
Satisfaction Questionnaire ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Women's Body Image ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Mean

Objective: This study aimed to compare women’s body image, sexual function and satisfaction before and after gynecologic cosmetic surgery. The study also aimed to assess women husband’s sexual satisfaction. Materials and methods: This was a pretest-posttest study. A sample of 50 women attending the pelvic floor clinic of Tehran University of Medical Sciences for gynecologic cosmetic surgery was entered into the study. Surgeries included labiaplasty, clitoral hoodectomy, vaginoplasty, vaginal rejuvenation, anterior and posterior colporrhaphy, perineoplasty, and perineorrhaphy. Women were assessed for the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI), the Larson Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSSQ-F), and Female Sexual Function Inventory (FSFI-6) at two points in time: baseline (one week before surgery) and 3 months after surgery. Similarly, the male partners were assed for sexual satisfaction using the Larson Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSSQ-M). To analyze the data paired samples t-test was applied. Results: The mean (SD) age of women was 43.36 (8.6) years and the mean (SD) duration of marriage was 22.18 (9.7) years. Ninety-four percent had history of vaginal delivery and 58.7 percent attend surgery due to husband’s sexual dissatisfaction. The results showed that women’s body image, sexual function and couples’ sexual satisfaction improved significantly after gynecologic cosmetic surgery (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The findings suggest that female genital cosmetic surgery improved the body image and sexual function of women and sexual satisfaction in couples that might lead to a more pleasurable and healthier marital relationship.

scholarly journals TESTING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN COGNITIVE AND BIOLOGICAL AGING IN OLDER ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S427-S427
Author(s):  
Daniel Belsky
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Biological Aging ◽  
Composite Indices ◽  
Patterns Of Aging ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract We conducted analysis to test if health disparities in cognitive aging were parallel to or different from health disparities in patterns of aging in other systems in the body, and if race/ethnicity-related disparities could be accounted for by differences in socioeconomic circumstances across the life-course. We analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults participating in the US NHANES and US Health and Retirement Study. We measured cognitive aging using neuropsychological tests of processing speed and memory. We measured aging in other systems using composite indices of biological aging based on organ-system function tests and blood chemistries. We conducted analysis to (i) quantify and compare health disparities in cognitive aging and biological aging; (ii) test if individuals exhibiting accelerated cognitive aging were also exhibiting accelerated biological aging; and (iii) test if race/ethnic disparities in cognitive and biological aging could be explained by measured socioeconomic resource differences in childhood and later life.

scholarly journals A Longitudinal Study of Allostatic Load in Later Life: The Role of Sex, Birth Cohorts, and Risk Accumulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana van Deurzen ◽  
Bram Vanhoutte
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Life Course

Are challenging life courses associated with more wear and tear on the biological level? This study investigates this question from a life-course perspective by examining the influence of life-course risk accumulation on allostatic load (AL), considering the role of sex and birth cohorts. Using biomarker data collected over three waves (2004, 2008, and 2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing ( N = 3,824) in a growth curve framework, AL trajectories over a period of 8 years are investigated. Our results illustrate that AL increases substantially in later life. Men have higher AL than women, but increases are similar for both sexes. Older cohorts have both higher levels and a steeper increase of AL over time. Higher risk accumulation over the life course goes hand in hand with higher AL levels and steeper trajectories, contributing to the body of evidence on cumulative (dis)advantage processes in later life.

“When I feel the worst pain, I look like shit” – body image concerns in persistent pain

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Sündermann ◽  
Karin Rydberg ◽  
Ludwig Linder ◽  
Steven James Linton
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Persistent Pain ◽  
The Body ◽  
Phantom Limb ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mood Changes ◽  
Body Image Concerns ◽  
Coping Behaviours

Abstract Background and aims Persistent pain is a pervasive condition that is often associated with a distorted body image. Most research into pain and body image investigated neural or physiological correlates (e.g. phantom limb pain), and much less is known about the psychological experience of body image changes in response to pain such as appearance concerns. The aim was to examine body image concerns in people with persistent pain, in particular appearance concerns and related coping behaviours and appearance-related emotions such as anger and shame. Methods Design was cross-sectional and data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with people suffering from persistent musculoskeletal pain (n=7; six females; age=19–56), and analysed with inductive thematic analysis (TA). Results Two main themes were identified: “Relationship to the painful body” and “Dissatisfaction with the body”, each containing three subthemes, along with the side-theme “Appearance concerns affected by pain and mood”. All participants reported appearance concerns, predominantly about their weight and related coping behaviours such as avoidance of mirrors, exercising or dieting and pain-induced mood changes that were associated with a negative body image. Conclusions People with persistent pain report appearance concerns, often related to pain-induced negative mood changes, and reduced functioning. It remains unclear to what extent attitudes towards the body change over time in accordance with pain. A wider concept of body image is required, including the perception of reduced functioning, related appraisals (e.g. “I look weak and old”) and appearance investment.

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