The racial and religious roots of fatphobia mean that today, ethnic minorities in Western societies increasingly struggle with body shame. Here's what therapists can do to help.
Women of non-white ethnicities are increasingly concerned with their bodies not meeting Western standards.
As an African-descended woman, I have heard it all regarding my weight, most of these appraisals from family and those in my community. I realize that I am not alone in experiencing the negative cultural evaluations and assessments associated with weight and body size. In fact, a review of the literature by Bakhshi demonstrates that women of multiple non-White ethnicities do experience negative body image. A concerning finding was that the negative body image of non-White women in Western countries appears to be worsening, meaning that women who are subjected to Western beauty ideals are becoming increasingly concerned with their bodies not meeting these standards.
Body ideals often are embedded implicitly within the dominant culture. It may take time to explore with the client the racist roots of certain body aesthetics. In this work, the first step may be to better understand the cognitive attributions associated with certain body aesthetics for that client.
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