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Title: Group-level consequences of communication about physical appearance.
Creator: Schwartz, Donna Jill., Florida Atlantic University, Tarantino, Santo J.
Abstract/Description: Recent research has looked at sociocultural standards and social comparison to explain body image disturbances (Thompson, 1996). This study uses Latane's Dynamic Social Impact Theory to explore the emergence of group level consequences of discussing these societal standards of physical appearance. It was hypothesized that there would be more clustering, consolidation, correlation and continued diversity amongst the participants opinions by the end of the five week discussion. These hypotheses...
Show moreRecent research has looked at sociocultural standards and social comparison to explain body image disturbances (Thompson, 1996). This study uses Latane's Dynamic Social Impact Theory to explore the emergence of group level consequences of discussing these societal standards of physical appearance. It was hypothesized that there would be more clustering, consolidation, correlation and continued diversity amongst the participants opinions by the end of the five week discussion. These hypotheses were not supported by measures of clustering, consolidation, correlation and continued diversity. These results indicate that Dynamic Social Impact Theory alone may not be useful for studying the consequence of group discussion on changing beliefs about physical appearance. More research is needed to determine whether adding an educational component to the program would bolster the effectiveness of Dynamic Social Impact Theory in regard to understanding the process by which people's attitudes about their bodies are changed.
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Date Issued: 2000
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12724
Subject Headings: Body image disturbance, Body image, Social psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Fattitude The Movie: Theory and Praxis of Creating a Documentary that Examines Fat Representation and Fat Social Justice.
Creator: Averill, Lindsey, Caputi, Jane, Hagood, Taylor, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Abstract/Description: This dissertation explores the making of and research for the film, Fattitude, a social justice based documentary that looks to awaken viewers to the reality of weight bias in media representation. This dissertation reviews the filmmaking process and then engages with the nature of stereotypes about fat bodies. Deeply tied to feminist and fat studies theory, the work here seeks to categorize and shape the understanding of weight bias in the media by linking fat tropes to clearly understood...
Show moreThis dissertation explores the making of and research for the film, Fattitude, a social justice based documentary that looks to awaken viewers to the reality of weight bias in media representation. This dissertation reviews the filmmaking process and then engages with the nature of stereotypes about fat bodies. Deeply tied to feminist and fat studies theory, the work here seeks to categorize and shape the understanding of weight bias in the media by linking fat tropes to clearly understood images of oppression, for example the monstrous, the fool, they hypersexual and the asexual. The work also seeks to present theory on the nature of creating media representations of fatness that are not oppressive – making note of current media created by grassroots movements for body acceptance and fat positivity.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004900, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004900
Subject Headings: Fattitude., Body image--Social aspects., Discrimination against overweight persons., Feminine beauty (Aesthetics), Obesity., Body image in women., Self-esteem in women., Physical-appearance-based bias.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Average (arithmetic mean) of women’s bodies.
Creator: Behar, Linda, Valdes, Juana, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Visual Arts and Art History
Abstract/Description: Between 1939 and 1940 the United States Government conducted a study of the measurements of women’s bodies to establish a standardized system of garment and pattern sizes. The central theme of my research is to analyze the female figure in the context of a technology-driven global contemporary society. My thesis exhibition includes a body of work that echoes the pressures that Western Society employs by standardizing women’s appearances. The focus of the work is to confront the viewer with a...
Show moreBetween 1939 and 1940 the United States Government conducted a study of the measurements of women’s bodies to establish a standardized system of garment and pattern sizes. The central theme of my research is to analyze the female figure in the context of a technology-driven global contemporary society. My thesis exhibition includes a body of work that echoes the pressures that Western Society employs by standardizing women’s appearances. The focus of the work is to confront the viewer with a visual examination, which illustrates the preconceived notion that Western Society portrays the female body as a commodity and exports those views to different cultures and societies. This calls to question: “who makes those standards endorsed by society and why women follow them?”. From the standardized measurements conducted by the United States Government, I generated a 2-D computer model of an outline of the generic female figure. Based on the 2-D representation, I constructed a series of ten 27”x36” inkjet prints and a 3-Dimensional prototype of the figurative form. The project consist on the manufacture of 14,698 molds base on the 3- Dimensional prototype -- 10% reduction of the size of the average female.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004079
Subject Headings: Advertising -- Psychological aspects, Body image in women, Feminine beauty (Aesthetics), Feminist theory, Human body -- Social aspects, Self esteem in women
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Dimensions of sexist beliefs and psychosocial adjustment in childhood.
Creator: Bidmead, Sarah, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The levels of 3 dimensions of sexism and 13 measures of psychosocial adjustment were assessed in 236 children in grades 4 through 8. The adjustment measures were factor analyzed to produce 5 adjustment factors. Analysis revealed that one of the factors, peer-reported prosocial tendencies, was moderately and negatively correlated with two of three measures of sexism. This effect was more pronounced for girls than for boys. Another factor, body self-esteem, was negatively correlated with one of...
Show moreThe levels of 3 dimensions of sexism and 13 measures of psychosocial adjustment were assessed in 236 children in grades 4 through 8. The adjustment measures were factor analyzed to produce 5 adjustment factors. Analysis revealed that one of the factors, peer-reported prosocial tendencies, was moderately and negatively correlated with two of three measures of sexism. This effect was more pronounced for girls than for boys. Another factor, body self-esteem, was negatively correlated with one of the measures of sexism for girls. The findings are congruent with the view that traditionally sexist ideology may detrimentally impact children's psychosocial adjustment.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186674
Subject Headings: Adjustment (Psychology) in children, Sex differences (Psychology), Sex role in chldren, Body image, Social aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: FATNESS: SOCIETAL REACTION AND THE HIGHLY VISIBLE DEVIANT.
Creator: GROSCH, RANDY., Florida Atlantic University, Tittle, Charles, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Sociology
Abstract/Description: Employing the interactionist framework, the fat person was conceived of as a social deviant engaged in the process of building and validating a workable identity. Fat persons were drawn from two theoretical pools reflecting high and low degrees of commitment to the fat role. It was hypothesized that the committed fat subjects would have significant others who approved the fatness. The data clearly supported this assertion. It was further hypothesized that committed fat people would experience...
Show moreEmploying the interactionist framework, the fat person was conceived of as a social deviant engaged in the process of building and validating a workable identity. Fat persons were drawn from two theoretical pools reflecting high and low degrees of commitment to the fat role. It was hypothesized that the committed fat subjects would have significant others who approved the fatness. The data clearly supported this assertion. It was further hypothesized that committed fat people would experience a lesser degree of anxiety and depression than non-committed fats. Directional support was found for this hypothesis. However, considerable male-female differences exist regarding the role of commitment as an anxiety reducer. An hypothesis stating that committed fat people would exhibit a more positive self-concept than their less committed counterparts was not borne out by the data.
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Date Issued: 1973
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13609
Subject Headings: Obesity--Psychological aspects, Deviant behavior--Labeling theory, Body image
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL EATING AND BODY IMAGE SCREENING FOR LGBTGEQIAP+ INDIVIDUALS.
Creator: Labarta, Adriana C., Emelianchik-Key, Kelly, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Counselor Education, College of Education
Abstract/Description: Research has consistently shown that LGBTGEQIAP+ individuals experience pervasive health disparities, including eating disorders (ED; e.g., Mensinger et al., 2020). Unfortunately, LGBTGEQIAP+ people report negative ED treatment experiences, particularly concerning cultural sensitivity, gender-affirming care, and other barriers to diagnosis and treatment (Duffy et al., 2016; Hartman-Munick et al., 2021; The Trevor Project, 2020). Sonneville and Lipson (2018) advocated for developing inclusive...
Show moreResearch has consistently shown that LGBTGEQIAP+ individuals experience pervasive health disparities, including eating disorders (ED; e.g., Mensinger et al., 2020). Unfortunately, LGBTGEQIAP+ people report negative ED treatment experiences, particularly concerning cultural sensitivity, gender-affirming care, and other barriers to diagnosis and treatment (Duffy et al., 2016; Hartman-Munick et al., 2021; The Trevor Project, 2020). Sonneville and Lipson (2018) advocated for developing inclusive screening tools to address current deficits in multicultural ED research and practice. The present study sought to fill this gap by developing and validating a new screening tool for LGBTGEQIAP+ individuals: the Multidimensional Eating and Body Image Screening (MEBIS). Following Lambie et al.’s (2017) guidelines, the researcher developed an initial item pool based on a comprehensive ED literature review. An expert panel of reviewers and a small sample of LGBTGEQIAP+ individuals provided additional feedback to enhance item clarity, content validity, and affirming language. The researcher began the recruitment process after receiving approval from the university’s Institutional Review Board. Participants included LGBTGEQIAP+ adults (18 years of age or older) from the community. Two separate samples were collected via an online survey for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; N=400) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; N=339) procedures. The EFA revealed a nine-factor structure accounting for 61.1% of the variance in the model. The factors were labeled as follows: (1) Gender, Media, and Disconnection; (2) Binging and Emotional Eating; (3) Compassion and Awareness; (4) Communities of Support; (5) Relationship with Food; (6) Affectional Orientation Sociocultural Factors; (7) Restriction, Dieting, and Compensatory Behaviors; (8) Racial/Ethnic Sociocultural Factors; and (9) Family and Cultural Support. According to CFA results, the nine-factor model suggested adequate fit (robust x2 (df = 866)=2479.62; CFI=.903; RMSEA=0.74; SRMR=.084). Additional psychometric analyses revealed acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.888) and evidence of convergent validity with the well-established ED screening, the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26; Garner et al., 1982). These results pose significant implications for culturally responsive and inclusive ED treatment, which are addressed.
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Date Issued: 2022
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013883
Subject Headings: Sexual minorities, Sexual minorities--Counseling, Eating disorders--Treatment, Body image, Screening
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Flesh impressions: Television texts of cosmetic surgery and audience negotiation.
Creator: Hutton, Heather O'Neil., Florida Atlantic University, Scodari, Christine
Abstract/Description: Both incredibly personal and inherently social, cosmetic surgery procedures intended to reconfigure the body toward a more culturally acceptable physicality and the increase in television representations of the phenomenon provoke a complex debate regarding the social, psychological, medical and ethical implications of such practices. This thesis raises the question: Do television texts of cosmetic surgery and their potential consumers reproduce or challenge the hegemony of cosmetic surgery as...
Show moreBoth incredibly personal and inherently social, cosmetic surgery procedures intended to reconfigure the body toward a more culturally acceptable physicality and the increase in television representations of the phenomenon provoke a complex debate regarding the social, psychological, medical and ethical implications of such practices. This thesis raises the question: Do television texts of cosmetic surgery and their potential consumers reproduce or challenge the hegemony of cosmetic surgery as a cultural practice? Using qualitative, social scientific methodology to analyze current examples of such television texts and study viewer negotiation of these texts, the study concludes that television texts are most likely to present cosmetic surgery in ways that perpetuate hegemonic notions of beauty, and that while viewers may negotiate readings that suit their preconceived notions of cosmetic surgery, they are unlikely to condemn such messages for fear of compromising an individual's power to choose cosmetic surgery for "acceptable reasons" such as improved self-esteem or social acceptance.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13127
Subject Headings: Surgery, Plastic--Social aspects, Body image--Social aspects, Mass media--Research, Mass media--Audiences
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Are Women Moving? Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Women’s Food-Access Strategies in Broward County Florida’s Food Deserts.
Creator: Lozano-Baugh, Arely B., Cameron, Mary, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Abstract/Description: Food insecurity or low-access to good quality, affordable foods affects minority women and children disproportionately (Herndon, 2014; Ivers & Cullen, 2011; Lee, 2012; Wigg Dammann & Smith, 2009). Linked to the rise in nutritionrelated and other health problems afflicting these populations (e.g., malnutrition, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure among others) (Azarbad & Gonder- Frederick, 2010; Bove & Olson, 2006; Larson, Story, & Nelson, 2009), this issue has been gaining some...
Show moreFood insecurity or low-access to good quality, affordable foods affects minority women and children disproportionately (Herndon, 2014; Ivers & Cullen, 2011; Lee, 2012; Wigg Dammann & Smith, 2009). Linked to the rise in nutritionrelated and other health problems afflicting these populations (e.g., malnutrition, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure among others) (Azarbad & Gonder- Frederick, 2010; Bove & Olson, 2006; Larson, Story, & Nelson, 2009), this issue has been gaining some attention. Still, programs combating weight and “weightrelated disorders” generally focus on individualistic solutions (Orbach, Bodies 2009)—such as increasing daily exercise and vilifying certain diets. Dismissing important spatial and systematic aspects, these approaches rather perpetuate problematic socio-political, economic, medical, and ideological biases informing our understanding of poverty, health and food. This project offers and alternative perspective. Most importantly, it 1) scrutinizes sexist, classist and racist constructs across the literature on overweight, obesity, poverty, and health; 2) examines the relationship between our food system, the growth in nutrition-related diseases, and the intersections of gender, race, and class within food insecure communities; and 3) analyzes interview data looking for important and resonating themes that could guide the development of more efficient local food access strategies. As this study shows, these women’s experiences, knowledge, and strategies have the potential of, not only helping eradicate food insecurity across South Florida, but also combating a great number of the nutrition-related health problems afflicting these populations.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004724, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004724
Subject Headings: Body image, Discrimination against overweight persons, Eating disorders -- Etiology -- Social aspects, Food security, Food supply, Nutrition disorders, Obesity in women, Overweight women
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A Feminist Cultural Study of Identity, Hair Loss, and Chemotherapy.
Creator: Guillerm, Celine, Scodari, Christine, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: The main aim of this dissertation is to discuss the way women negotiate the cultural meaning of hair loss, alopecia, as a result of undergoing chemotherapy, and to understand, accordingly, how cancer's cultural effects regarding women can be deeply different from those of men. Very few studies have been done about the cultural impact and resonance of alopecia. It is often regarded as "secondary" to other effects of chemotherapy. Because, in many cultures, head hair for women expresses or...
Show moreThe main aim of this dissertation is to discuss the way women negotiate the cultural meaning of hair loss, alopecia, as a result of undergoing chemotherapy, and to understand, accordingly, how cancer's cultural effects regarding women can be deeply different from those of men. Very few studies have been done about the cultural impact and resonance of alopecia. It is often regarded as "secondary" to other effects of chemotherapy. Because, in many cultures, head hair for women expresses or manifests attractiveness and power, to be bald is to be deprived of the ability to fit into society, whether in the public or private sphere. The study examines the representation of such women in the media, audience/subject responses to these representations, and interrogates women's identities and representations in terms of Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze. Women who have experienced chemotherapy-induced alopec ia were interviewed in this regard. Other contributive feminist, cultural and/or media studies works, such as those by Suzanna Walters, Susan Bordo, Naomi Wolf, Donna Haraway, Stuart Hall, Kimberle Crenshaw, and Judith Butler, help facilitate the analysis. From these perspectives, a historical analysis takes into consideration the symbolic dimension of hair, especially women's head hair, within Western cultural history, particularly in France and a multicultural America. In addition, a textual analysis looks at women, cancer, and hair loss as represented in popular culture characters and personalities. The study insists on the necessity for women to resist to the culture industries and deconstruct the male gaze, as well as the female gaze, which can both contribute to, and perpetuate women's objectification.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004502, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004502
Subject Headings: Baldness -- Psychological aspects, Body image, Cancer -- Psychosomatic aspects, Cancer -- Treatment -- Complications, Feminine beauty (Aesthetics), Identity (Psychology), Self esteem in women
Format: Document (PDF)

Body image (6)	+ -
Feminine beauty (Aesthetics) (3)	+ -
Self esteem in women (2)	+ -
Adjustment (Psychology) in children (1)	+ -
Advertising -- Psychological aspects (1)	+ -

Baldness -- Psychological aspects (1)	+ -
Body image disturbance (1)	+ -
Body image in women (1)	+ -
Body image in women. (1)	+ -
Body image--Social aspects (1)	+ -
Body image--Social aspects. (1)	+ -
Cancer -- Psychosomatic aspects (1)	+ -
Cancer -- Treatment -- Complications (1)	+ -
Deviant behavior--Labeling theory (1)	+ -
Discrimination against overweight persons (1)	+ -
Discrimination against overweight persons. (1)	+ -
Eating disorders -- Etiology -- Social aspects (1)	+ -
Eating disorders--Treatment (1)	+ -
Fattitude. (1)	+ -
Feminist theory (1)	+ -
Food security (1)	+ -
Food supply (1)	+ -
Human body -- Social aspects (1)	+ -
Identity (Psychology) (1)	+ -
Mass media--Audiences (1)	+ -
Mass media--Research (1)	+ -
Nutrition disorders (1)	+ -
Obesity in women (1)	+ -
Obesity--Psychological aspects (1)	+ -
Obesity. (1)	+ -

Florida Atlantic University (8)	+ -
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters (5)	+ -
Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (2)	+ -
Scodari, Christine (2)	+ -
Averill, Lindsey (1)	+ -

Behar, Linda (1)	+ -
Bidmead, Sarah (1)	+ -
Cameron, Mary (1)	+ -
Caputi, Jane (1)	+ -
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science (1)	+ -
College of Education (1)	+ -
Department of Counselor Education (1)	+ -
Department of Psychology (1)	+ -
Department of Sociology (1)	+ -
Department of Visual Arts and Art History (1)	+ -
Emelianchik-Key, Kelly (1)	+ -
GROSCH, RANDY. (1)	+ -
Guillerm, Celine (1)	+ -
Hagood, Taylor (1)	+ -
Hutton, Heather O'Neil. (1)	+ -
Labarta, Adriana C. (1)	+ -
Lozano-Baugh, Arely B. (1)	+ -
School of Communication and Multimedia Studies (1)	+ -
Schwartz, Donna Jill. (1)	+ -
Tarantino, Santo J. (1)	+ -
Tittle, Charles (1)	+ -
Valdes, Juana (1)	+ -

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