“YOU LOOK LIKE A SKINNY WHITE GIRL”: BLACK CULTURAL EFFECTS ON THE BODY IMAGE OF THIN BLACK WOMEN

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact that the thick body image expected of black women, which is portrayed through the black media culture, has on thin black women and their connection within their black culture. The biocultural model theory was used to study the emotional influence the thick body image has on the thin black woman. Using the qualitative data analysis method, one-on-one interviews were conducted among 10 black women who self-perceived themselves as thin. According to the study, thin black women do suffer from an emotional disconnect and displacement from their black culture because they do not possess the thick body image expected of them.