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A comparison of the sources and nature of body image messages perceived by indigenous Fijian and European Australian adolescent girls

journal contribution
posted on 2006-10-01, 00:00 authored by Lauren Williams, L Ricciardelli, M McCabe, Boyd Swinburn, G Waqa, K Bavadra
Australian and Fijian adolescent girls reported on the influence that sociocultural factors, including parents, peers, and the media, had on their body image attitudes. It was expected that messages that promote a thin body would be less prevalent among Fijians, as their cultural traditions place more importance on robust body sizes. An inductive thematic analysis of the girls’ semi-structured interviews indicated that both Fijian (n = 16) and Australian (n = 16) girls (aged 13–17) reported messages from similar sources, which included parents, siblings, and friends/peers. Australian girls consistently reported messages that reinforced thinness. On the other hand, Fijian girls reported messages that emphasized both thinness and robustness. The discussion focuses on the conflict between Western ideals and cultural Fijian traditions and the implications for culturally sensitive interventions.

History

Journal

Sex roles

Volume

55

Issue

7-8

Pagination

555 - 566

Publisher

Springer

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

ISSN

0360-0025

eISSN

1573-2762

Language

eng

Notes

Published online: 30 November 2006

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2006, Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.