- 1,186 women aged 18 to 80 from six countries were surveyed about their body confidence
- Black Nigerian women top the list with the highest appreciation for their bodies
A new study led by researchers from Durham University reveals who among the world’s women are the most and least confident about their bodies.
Black Nigerian women top the list with the highest appreciation for their bodies.
At the other end of the spectrum, white, Western women are the least satisfied with their figures, the study found.
“We found that body appreciation was relatively stable across age groups and that sociocultural pressures were evident across cultures,” said Louise Hanson, who led the study.
‘But the extent to which this pressure was experienced and where it came from varied across cultures.’
A new study led by researchers from Durham University has revealed who among the world’s women are the most and least confident about their bodies (stock image)
Body image is a complex phenomenon that affects women and men all over the world.
However, until now, most research has focused on young, white, Western women.
In their new study, the researchers wanted to find out how body appreciation differs between women from different cultures.
“Most body esteem research to date has focused on younger, white, Western women,” Hanson said.
“We wanted to broaden the scope and include older women and other cultures, because these groups have historically been ignored.”
A total of 1,186 women aged 18 to 80 participated in the study. They came from six countries: four Western countries (Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States), plus China and Nigeria.
The women were asked about their own body esteem and the pressure they experience from their family, peers and the media regarding body image.
The results showed that all three groups had relatively stable body esteem across age.
However, there were significant cultural differences.
White, Western women experience much more pressure from the media to conform to a slim or athletic body.
According to the research, white Western women are the least satisfied with their figures (stock image)
Although this pressure decreased with age, even at its lowest point, the pressure felt by Western women was still higher than that of other ethnic groups.
In contrast, black Nigerian women reported the highest appreciation for their bodies and experienced much less media pressure regarding their body image.
Chinese women reported that they faced the most persistent pressure from their families and peers regarding body image, while pressure from the media was less.
The researchers hope the findings will lead to further research into body appreciation across cultures.
‘Based on our findings, we suggest that when developing interventions to increase body appreciation, experts should consider all age groups, not just younger women,’ Ms Hanson added.
‘In addition, there is a need for interventions that take cultural differences into account, such as greater media literacy for white Western women, who indicate that they experience the most pressure in this area.’