Weight Matters: African American Sorority Women Speak up About Body Image

Abstract

Seidman’s (1998) Three-Interview Series was conducted with eight African American sorority women to explore history, details, and meaning of their body image. These themes were identified: Weight Trumps Everything Else, Family Criticism and Comparison, How I Look in Clothes, Intra-cultural Understanding of Black Women’s Bodies, Health Awareness, Media Responsibility, and Age. Participants made connections between sorority stereotypes and body image. Participants questioned motivation (self versus society) behind their feelings and behaviors. Participants wanted to help others achieve body image acceptance. Findings challenge the notion that African American women are “culturally protected” from body image dissatisfaction. Implications for practice are discussed.