Body Image Report - Parliament of Victoria

INQUIRY INTO ISSUES RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BODY IMAGE AMONG
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ASSOCIATED EFFECTS ON THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING
sizes than those of Ghanaian origin, with the U.S. origin women the
most likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies. 27
2.13 Further evidence of the origin of these cultural differences
comes from research examining the levels of cultural identity within a
community. For example, stronger African American cultural identity
within an African American community has been associated with less
susceptibility to certain types of negative body image. 28 Similarly,
immigrating to a Western culture at an early age has been shown to
influence the ideal thinness for Hispanic American females. 29
2.14 The age at which immigration occurs may be extremely
important in this regard. Australian research has shown that young
women from different cultural backgrounds who had been born in
Australia hold very similar perceptions of what is constituted an ideal
body size for themselves, for women in general and for young men. 30
2.15 In its submission to the Committee, the Centre for Multicultural
Youth Issues stressed the fact that the impact of the process of
immigration and settlement was also a highly significant contributor to
body image for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds
particularly where the cultural differences between the country of origin
and settlement were substantial. 31
The Beauty Ideal over Time
2.16 Differences can occur within a culture over time as dramatically
as they occur between cultures and as the current ideal shifts
individuals whose body shape does not conform to the current ideal
can be placed at risk. The widespread concern about dieting and
eating disorders has resulted in a number of studies examining the
14