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Body Type Preferences in Asian and Caucasian College Students

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Abstract

While there is an extensive literature on gender differences in body image, little has focused on ethnic group differences in men's body image. College students ( N = 466) from a prestigious New England university indicated their current and ideal figures. Compared to Caucasians (N = 289), Asians (N = 92) reported smaller current figures. Both Caucasian and Asian women rated their current figure as larger than their ideal. Caucasian males reported no discrepancy between their current and ideal figures. However, Asian males rated their current figures as smaller than ideal. The effect of ethnicity on body satisfaction depended upon gender. For women, the ideal was thinner than current figure regardless of actual size, producing a discrepancy between current and ideal figures for both Caucasian and Asian women. Conversely, Asian and Caucasian men identified a similar ideal, producing a discrepancy between current and ideal figures only for Asian men.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard University, USA

    Heather L. Barnett, Pamela K. Keel & Lauren M. Conoscenti

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  1. Heather L. Barnett
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  2. Pamela K. Keel
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  3. Lauren M. Conoscenti
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Correspondence to Pamela K. Keel.

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Barnett, H.L., Keel, P.K. & Conoscenti, L.M. Body Type Preferences in Asian and Caucasian College Students. Sex Roles 45, 867–878 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015600705749

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