Family Pressure

The present study contributes to our understanding o f differences and simi­ larities between White and Black women and men's body image concerns. The majority o f body image research so fa r has been conducted using sam­ ples ofpredominantly White women. The results o f five focus groups revealed important differences between the sexes and races when it comes to body image. While a difference between races was obvious fo r women, both Black and White men had similar experiences with their expectations o f what the ideal body in their culture looks like, and how they talk about their body with parents and peers. Theoretical implications are discussed.

"Few research studies have explored how parental communication influences children’s
body image. Some studies have looked at parental communication orientation and the
development of eating problems without distinguishing between the mother’s and the
father’s communication style and between the daughter’s and the son’s body dissatisfaction.
In addition, no study has compared the influence of family communication
versus peer pressure on young adults’ body-image perceptions. The current investigation
attempted to fill that void. Results of a survey conducted among 283 college students
show the support for developmental and social comparison theories that argue that peers’
influence in adolescence is more significant than parents’ influence. Peer pressure is
unavoidable and most often negative, especially for girls. Too much parental control
can also negatively influence how college-aged women and men feel about their bodies.
This is especially true for an opposite-sex parent."