Empowerment and powerlessness: A closer look at the relationship between feminism, body image and eating disturbance

Sex Roles

Volumn 58, Issue 9-10, 2008, Pages 639-648

  Peterson, Rachel D ^a   Grippo, Karen P ^a   Tantleff Dunn, Stacey ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA   (United States)

Author keywords

Body image; Eating disorders; Empowerment; Feminism; Prevention

Indexed keywords

EID: 42149177955     PISSN: 03600025     EISSN: 15732762     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11199-007-9377-z     Document Type: Article

References (65)

1. Affleck, D. A. (1999). Women's experiences of their bodies: Understanding the connection between feminist consciousness, body image and eating disorders (Doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, Canada, 1999). Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, pp. 94
2. Anleu, S. R. (2006). Gendered bodies: Between conformity and autonomy. In K. Davis, M. Evans, & J. Lorber (Eds.) Handbook of gender and women's studies. CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
3. Bargad, A., & Hyde, J. (1991). Women's studies: A study of feminist identity development in women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15, 181-201.
4. Bergsma, L. J. (2004). Empowerment education: The link between media literacy and health promotion. American Behavioral Scientist, 48, 152-164.
5. Brown, T. A., Cash, T. F., & Mikulka, P. J. (1990). Attitudinal body-image assessment: Factor analysis of the body-self relations questionnaire. Journal of Personality Assessment, 55, 135-144.
6. Calogero, R. M., Davis, W. N., & Thompson, J. K. (2005). The role of self-objectification in the experience of women with eating disorders. Sex Roles, 52, 43-50.
7. Cash, T. F. (2000). The multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire and user's manual. Available from Thomas F. Cash, Ph.D., Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529-0267.
8. Cash, T. F., Ancis, J. R., & Strachan, M. D. (1997). Gender attitudes, feminist identity, and body images among college women. Sex Roles, 36, 433-447.
9. Cash, T. F., & Henry, P. E. (1995). Women's body images: The results of a national survey in the U.S.A. Sex Roles, 33, 19-28.
10. Dionne, M., Davis, C., Fox, J., & Gurevich, M. (1995). Feminist ideology as a predictor of body dissatisfaction in women. Sex Roles, 33, 277-287.
11. Doninger, G., Enders, C., & Burnett, K. (2003). The relationship between feminist identity development and eating disorders among female athletes. Presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Toronto, Canada.
12. Downing, N., & Roush, K. (1985). From passive acceptance to active commitment. A model of feminist identity development for women. The Counseling Psychologist, 13, 695-709.
13. Fea, C. J., & Brannon, L. A. (2006). Self-objectification and compliment type: Effects on negative mood. Body Image, 3, 183-188.
14. Fiissel, D. L. (2006). Weight control motives for cigarette smoking: Further consequences of the sexual objectification of women. Feminism and Psychology, 16, 327-344.
15. Fischer, A. R., Tokar, D. M., Mergl, M. M., Good, G. E., Hill, M. S., & Blum, S. A. (2000). Assessing women's feminist identity development. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24, 15-29.
16. Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. A. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women's lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173-206.
17. Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. NY: Continuum.
18. Freire, P. (1973). Education for critical consciousness. NY: Continuum.
19. Garner, D. M., & Garfinkel, P. E. (Eds.) (1997). Handbook of treatment for eating disorders. NY: The Guilford Press.
20. Garner, D. M., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1979). The eating attitudes test: An index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9(2), 273-279.
21. Greenleaf, C., & McGreer, R. (2006). Disordered eating attitudes and self-objectification among physically active and sedentary college students. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 140, 187-198.
22. Hall, J. A. (1984). Nonverbal sex differences: Communication accuracy and expressive style. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press.
23. Heinberg, L. J., Thompson, J. K., & Stormer, S. (1995). Development and validation of the sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 17, 81-89.
24. Keppel, G., & Zedeck, S. (1989). Data analysis for research designs: Analysis of variance and multiple regression/correlation approaches. NY: WH Freeman and Company.
25. Leggatt, J. M. (2005). What happens when Grrrls riot? The relationship between feminism and eating pathology in adolescent girls. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 65, 3713.
26. Leon, G. R., Fulkerson, J. A., Perry, C. L., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Personality and behavioral vulnerabilities associated with risk status for eating disorders in adolescent girls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 438-444.
27. Martz, D. M., Handley, K. B., & Eisler, R. M. (1995). The relationship between feminine gender role stress, body image, and eating disorders. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 493-508.
28. McKinley, N. M., & Wojszwilo, A. (1999). Feminism, political activism, and women's body consciousness. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Women in Psychology. Providence, RI, March.
29. McVey, G. L., Lieberman, M., Voorberg, N., Wardrope, D., & Blackmore, E. (2003). School-based peer support groups: A new approach to the prevention of disordered eating. Eating Disorders, 11, 169-185.
30. Noll, S. M. (1997). The relationship between sexual objectification and disordered eating: Correlational and experimental tests of body shame as a mediator. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences & Engineering, 57, 5926.
31. Noll, S. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). A mediational model linking self-objectification, body shame, and disordered eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 22, 623-636.
32. Orbach, S. (1978). Fat is a feminist issue: A self-help guide for compulsive eaters. New York: Berkley Books.
33. Peterson, R. D., Tantleff-Dunn, S., & Bedwell, J. S. (2006). The effects of exposure to feminist ideology on women's body image. Body Image, 3, 237-246.
34. Piran, N. (2001). V. Reinhabiting the body. Feminism and Psychology, 11, 172-176.
35. Piran, N., Levine, M. P., & Irving, L. M. (2000). Go girls! Media literacy, activism, and advocacy project. Healthy Weight Journal, 89-90, Nov/Dec.
36. Prichard, I., & Tiggemann, M. (2005). Objectification in fitness centers: Self-objectification, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in aerobic instructors and aerobic participants. Sex Roles, 53, 19-28.
37. Quinn, D. M., Kallen, R. W., Twenge, J. M., & Frederickson, B. L. (2006). The disruptive effect of self-objectification on performance. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30, 59-64.
38. Rappaport, J. (1987). Terms of empowerment/exemplars of prevention: Toward a theory for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 15, 121-142.
39. Reed, D. L., Thompson, J. K., Brannick, M. T., & Sacco, W. P. (1991). Development and validation of the physical appearance state and trait anxiety scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 5, 323-332.
40. Rickard, K. M. (1987). Feminist identity development: Scale development and initial validation studies. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Women in Psychology. Denver, CO, March.
41. Rogers, E. S., Chamberlin, J., Ellison, M. L., & Crean, T. (1997). A consumer-constructed scale to measure empowerment among users of mental health services. Psychiatric Services, 48, 1042-1047.
42. Rosenfield, S. (1992). Factors contributing to the subjective quality of life of the chronically mentally ill. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 299-315.
43. Rubin, L. R., Nemeroff, C. J., & Russo, N. F. (2004). Exploring feminist women's body consciousness. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28, 27-37.
44. Sabik, N. J., & Tylka, T. L. (2006). Do feminist identity styles moderate the relation between perceived sexist events and disordered eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30, 77-84.
45. Seaver, A., McVey, G., Fullerton, Y., & Stratton, L. (1997). Every BODY is a somebody: An active learning program to promote healthy body image, positive self-esteem, healthy eating and an active lifestyle for adolescent females: Teacher's Guide. Brampton, Ontario: Body Image Coalition of Peel.
46. Segal, S., Silverman, C., & Temkin, T. (1995). Measuring empowerment in client-run self-help agencies. Community Mental Health Journal, 31, 215-227.
47. Sjostrom, L. A., & Steiner-Adair, C. (2005). Full of ourselves: A wellness program to advance girl power, health, and leadership: An eating disorders prevention program that works. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 37, 141-144.
48. Smolak, L., & Murnen, S. K. (2004). A feminist approach to eating disorders. In J. K. Thompson (Ed.) Handbook of eating disorders and obesity. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
49. Steiner-Adair, C., Sjostrum, L., Franko, D., Pai, S., Tucker, R., Becker, A. E., et al. (2002). Primary prevention of risk factors for eating disorders in adolescent girls: Learning from practice. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 32, 401-411.
50. Stice, E. (1994). Review of the evidence for a sociocultural model of bulimia nervosa and an exploration of the mechanisms of action. Clinical Psychology Review, 14, 633-661.
51. Swami, V., & Tovee, M. J. (2006). The influence of body mass index on the physical attractiveness preferences of feminist and nonfeminist heterosexual women and lesbians. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30, 252-257.
52. Swim, J. K., Hyers, L. L., Cohen, L. L., & Ferguson, M. J. (2001). Everyday sexism: Evidence for its incidence, nature, and psychological impact from three daily diary studies. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 31-53.
53. Tiggemann, M. (2004). Dietary restraint and self-esteem as predictors of weight gain over an 8-year time period. Eating Behaviors, 5, 251-259.
54. Tiggemann, M. (2005). Body dissatisfaction and adolescent self-esteem: Prospective findings. Body Image, 2, 129-135.
55. Tiggemann, M., & Kuring, J. K. (2004). The role of body objectification in disordered eating and depressed mood. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43, 299-311.
56. Tiggemann, M., & Lynch, J. E. (2001). Body image across the life span in adult women: The role of self-objectification. Developmental Psychology, 37, 243-253.
57. Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2001). A test of objectification theory in former dancers and non-dancers. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 57-64.
58. Tiggemann, M., & Stevens, C. (1999). Weight concern across the life-span: Relationship to self-esteem and feminist identity. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 26, 103-106.
59. Tylka, T. L., & Hill, M. S. (2004). Objectification theory as it relates to disordered eating among college women. Sex Roles, 51, 719-730.
60. Van Zoonan, L. (1994). Feminist media studies. London: Sage.
61. Webster, J., & Tiggemann, M. (2003). The relationship between women's body satisfaction and self-image across the life span: The role of cognitive control. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 164, 241-252.
62. Wolf, N. (1991). The beauty myth: How images of beauty are used against women. New York: Anchor Books.
63. Zimmerman, M. A. (1995). Psychological empowerment: Issues and illustrations. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23, 581-599.
64. Zimmerman, M. A., & Rappaport, J. (1988). Citizen participation, perceived control, and psychological empowerment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 16, 725-750.
65. Zone, S. A. (1998). Feminism as a determinant of body image satisfaction, anorexia, and bulimia. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences & Engineering, 58, 6270.