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The UCLA Body Project II: Breast and Body Dissatisfaction among African, Asian, European, and Hispanic American College Women

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Abstract

Breast and global body dissatisfaction were examined in Asian (n = 237), European (n = 196), Hispanic (n = 109), and African (n = 58) American college women. Asian American women reported the lowest body satisfaction on the Appearance Evaluation Scale (Cash, T. F. The multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire users’ manual: 3rd revision, 2000) and greatest breast dissatisfaction on one of two breast dissatisfaction measures. Ethnic differences in breast dissatisfaction, but not in body dissatisfaction, disappeared when body size (BMI) was statistically controlled. Results were consistent with research showing that (1) ethnic differences in body dissatisfaction are small, (2) studies of ethnic differences must include appropriate controls for total or specific body size, and (3) Asian college women report lower global body satisfaction than women of African, European, or Hispanic heritage.

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Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the UCLA Graduate Division, the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, and the department of Psychology, for providing financial support for the second author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Millikin University, Decatur, IL, USA

    Gordon B. Forbes

  2. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    David A. Frederick

  3. UCLA Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    David A. Frederick

  4. UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    David A. Frederick

Authors
  1. Gordon B. Forbes
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  2. David A. Frederick
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Correspondence to Gordon B. Forbes.

Additional information

For additional papers and information, please contact David Frederick at enderflies1@aol.com, visit his website at http://dfred.bol.ucla.edu or contact Gordon B. Forbes at gforbes@millikin.edu.

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Forbes, G.B., Frederick, D.A. The UCLA Body Project II: Breast and Body Dissatisfaction among African, Asian, European, and Hispanic American College Women. Sex Roles 58, 449–457 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9362-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9362-6

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