Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women

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For 26-year-old Rani Wei, the experience hits close to home. The former actress said in most of the auditions she had attended, she was discriminated against because she was "overweight" and "not that beautiful" by filmmaking standards. Foster-Gimbel, O., & Engeln, R. (2016). Fat chance! Experiences and expectations of antifat bias in the gay community. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3, 63-70. Engeln, R., & Salk, R. (2014). The demographics of fat talk in adult women: Age, body size, and ethnicity. Journal of Health Psychology, 19, 1-10. Sladek, M., Salk, R., & Engeln, R. (2018). Negative body talk measures for Asian, Latina(o), and White women and men: Measurement equivalence and associations with ethnic-racial identity. Body Image, 25, 66-77. My lab (The Body and Media Lab, a.k.a. “BAM”) conducts research exploring issues surrounding women’s body images, with a particular emphasis on cultural practices that create or enforce the frequently contentious relationship women have with their bodies. Descriptions of specific areas of research are below.

Need help finding the answers to other questions about the workplace? Get help. Looking for another award? Fat Talk: BAM researchers have been examining the frequency, content, and impact of the types of social exchanges in which women engage in mutual body disparagement. Of particular interest is the finding that this type of talk appears to be most common among women of a healthy body weight.

An award-winning Northwestern University psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Naomi Wolf, Peggy Orenstein, and Sheryl Sandberg. Research Faculty, Visiting Scholars, and Postdoctoral Fellows ExpandResearch Faculty, Visiting Scholars, and Postdoctoral Fellows Submenu For a time, toxic criteria of slimness made their rounds on social media, such as millions of netizens sharing photos of eggs being delicately perched on their pronounced collarbones. These bizarre internet trends have further contributed to the social anxiety of young women who fear judgment or strive for perfectionism. And there are the myriad beauty "gurus" who link slimness to self-discipline, and beauty to power. Maybe the willingness to talk about body image in public is progress, though tiny, as women try to define their own worth and beauty instead of having others do it for them. As the protagonist in "Magic Mirror" asks near the end of the episode, "Why has beauty, which is supposed to be the most inclusive and diverse, become so narrow?"

Objectification Theory: BAM has been conducting a series of studies testing proposed mediators, moderators, and outcomes of Objectification Theory. We have examined self-objectification in specific, relevant contexts (e.g., sorority rush) and among different social groups (e.g., members of dance groups, roller derby skaters, gay men and lesbian women). Salk, R. H., & Engeln-Maddox, R. (2012). Fat talk among college women is both contagious and harmful. Sex Roles, 9, ­636-645 .

Beauty sickness in India, a reality

Stern, N., & Engeln, R. (2018). Self-compassionate letter-writing increases college women’s body satisfaction. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 42, 326-341. Rolnik, A., Engeln-Maddox, R., & Miller, S.A. (2010). Here’s looking at you: Self-objectification, body image disturbance, and sorority rush. Sex Roles, 63, 6-17. Johnson, S., & Engeln, R. (2020). Gender Discrepancies in Perceptions of the Bodies of Female Fashion Models. Sex Roles, 84, 299-311. Engeln, R., & Zola, A. (in press). These boots weren’t made for walking: Clothing choices as a gendered form of self-objectification. Sex Roles.

Unsurprisingly, in societies such as China and greater East Asia where the competition to be the best and look the most beautiful is fierce, looking pretty and keeping fit is the feminine ideal. For young women in urban China, body image is a topic that's often discussed, yet not nearly enough. Monica recalled that her mother had once told her then-boyfriend to watch her diet because in her eyes she was "fat" while her then-boyfriend was in good shape. "She even cried, leaving me quite surprised." That's one way to parent in many Chinese families – the thinking is that girls should keep fit so that they'll be more popular in society. Engeln-Maddox, R., Salk, R. H., & Miller, S.A. (2012). Assessing women’s negative commentary on their own bodies: A psychometric investigation of the Negative Body Talk Scale. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36, 162-178. The Hair and Beauty Award covers employers in the hair and beauty industry and their employees who fit within the classifications of the award.Engeln, R., Shavlik, M., & Daly, C. (2018). Tone it down: How fitness instructors' motivational comments shape women's body satisfaction. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 12, 508-524 . Every day, every week, every year, I would always find somewhere on my body I'm not satisfied with," said Tang. To her and her female colleagues, the pursuit of beauty is never-ending. "It's common sense in my company that we have to watch our diet and stay in shape." high frequency body treatments including full body massage and other body treatments (if it is not a health business) hairdressers or cosmetologists working in the general retail, theatrical, amusement and entertainment industry

Source reference: Hair and Beauty Industry Award [MA000005] clause 4 and schedule A Who the Hair and Beauty Award doesn’t cover I live with that struggle every day. When I was a teenager, I was always doubting whether my face was too big, whether my nose was too wide. And now, I'm afraid of getting old," said Tang Xuemeng. Turning 30, she said she fears the wrinkles creeping onto her face and cheeks sagging due to loss of collagen. Salk, R., & Engeln-Maddox, R. (2011).“If you’re fat then I’m humongous!”: Content and impact of fat talk among college women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 8-28 . An award-winning psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Peggy Orenstein and Sheryl Sandberg. Engeln-Maddox, R., Miller, S.A., & Doyle, D. (2011). Tests of objectification theory in gay, lesbian, and community samples: Mixed evidence for proposed pathways. Sex Roles, 65, 518-532.

Foster-Gimbel, O., Engeln, R., & Doyle, D. (2018). The Gay Community Involvement Index: An exploratory factor analysis and initial validation of a new measure of gay community involvement. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47, 1-15 . Engeln, R., & Imundo, M. N. (2020). I (don’t) love my body: Counter-intuitive effects of body-affirming statements on college women. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 39, 617-639. A man is in charge of making money, a woman is in charge of being pretty." Though gender equality dominates mainstream conversation, this maxim still shapes our societal values and reinforces gender roles in all aspects of our lives. The Hair and Beauty Award also covers labour hire businesses and their employees who are working for a business in the hair and beauty industry. Source reference: Hair and Beauty Industry Award [MA000005] clause 4 and schedule A Not the right award?