Body Size and Social Self-Image Among Adolescent African American Girls: The Moderating Influence of Family Racial Socialization

Social psychologists have amassed a large body of work demonstrating that overweight African American adolescent girls have generally positive self-images, particularly when compared with overweight females from other racial and ethnic groups. Some scholars have proposed that elements of African Ame...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Youth & society 2009-12, Vol.41 (2), p.256-277
Main Authors: Granberg, Ellen M., Gordon Simons, Leslie, Simons, Ronald L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
African Americans
Body Weight
Ethnic Groups
Family Life
Females
Georgia
Girls
Iowa
Measures (Individuals)
Obesity
Psychologists
Race
Self Concept
Self Esteem
Self image
Social Experience
Social psychology
Socialization
Teenagers
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Summary:Social psychologists have amassed a large body of work demonstrating that overweight African American adolescent girls have generally positive self-images, particularly when compared with overweight females from other racial and ethnic groups. Some scholars have proposed that elements of African American social experience may contribute to the maintenance of these positive self-views. The article evaluates these arguments using data drawn from a panel study of socioeconomically diverse African American adolescent girls living in Iowa and Georgia. The article analyzes the relationship between body size and social self-image over three waves of data, starting when the girls were 10 years of age and concluding when they were approximately 14. The findings show that heavier respondents hold less positive social self-images; however, the findings also show that being raised in a family that practices racial socialization moderates this relationship.
ISSN:0044-118X
1552-8499
DOI:10.1177/0044118X09338505