"it's a comparison thing, isn't it?": Lesbian and bisexual women's accounts of how partner relationships shape their feelings about their body and appearance

Psychology of Women Quarterly

Volumn 35, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 415-427

  Huxley, Caroline J ^a   Clarke, Victoria ^b   Halliwell, Emma ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

appearance; bisexuality; body image; interpersonal influences; interpersonal relationships; lesbianism; physical attractiveness

Indexed keywords

EID: 80052257014     PISSN: 03616843     EISSN: 14716402     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0361684311410209     Document Type: Article

References (69)

1. Ambwani S.,Strauss J.Love thyself before loving others? A qualitative and quantitative analysis of gender differences in body image and romantic love.Sex Roles. 2007;56:13-21.
2. Asher N.S.,Asher K.C.Using qualitative methods in psychology. Kopala M.Suzuki L.A., ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 1999:135-144.
3. Befort C.,Robinson S.E. K.,Hullbanks E.,Nicpon M.F.,Huser L.,Sollenberger S.Body image, self-esteem, and weight-related criticism from romantic partners.Journal of College Student Development. 2001;42:407-419.
4. Beren S.E.,Hayden H.A.,Wilfley D.E.,Striegel-Moore R.H.Body dissatisfaction among lesbian college students: The conflict of straddling mainstream and lesbian cultures.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 1997;21:431-445.
5. Blackwood E.Female desires: Same-sex relationships and transgender practices across cultures. Blackwood E.Wieringa S.E., ed. New York, NY: Columbia University Press; 1999:181-205.
6. Bordo S.Unbearable weight: Feminism, Western culture, and the body. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1993:.
7. Bosson J.K.,Pinel E.C.,Thompson J.K.The affective consequences of minimizing women's body image concerns.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2008;32:257-266.
8. Bower J.,Gurevich M.,Mathieson C.(Con)tested identities: Bisexual women reorient sexuality.Journal of Bisexuality. 2002;2:23-52.
9. Braun V.,Clarke V.Using thematic analysis in psychology.Qualitative Research in Psychology. 2006;3:77-101.
10. Brown L. SLesbian psychologies: Explorations and challenges. Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press; 1987:294-259.
11. Burch B.Psychological merger in lesbian couples: A joint ego psychological and systems approach.Family Therapy. 1982;9:201-208.
12. Burns M.,Gavey N.'Healthy weight' at what cost? 'Bulimia' and a discourse of weight control.Journal of Health Psychology. 2004;9:549-565.
13. Clarke V.,Burgoyne C.,Burns M.Out in psychology: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer perspectives. Clarke V.Peel E., ed. Chichester, UK: Wiley; 2007:173-193.
14. Clarke V.,Ellis S.J.,Peel E.,Riggs D.W.Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer psychology: An introduction. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press; 2010:.
15. Clarke V.,Kitzinger C.,Potter J.'Kids are just cruel anyway': Lesbian and gay parents' talk about homophobic bullying.British Journal of Social Psychology. 2004;4:531-550.
16. Out in psychology: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer perspectives. Clarke V.Peel E., ed. Chichester, UK: Wiley; 2007:.
17. Clarke V.,Turner K.Clothes maketh the queer? Dress, appearance and the construction of lesbian, gay and bisexual identities.Feminism&Psychology. 2007;17:267-276.
18. Crawley S.L."They still don't understand why I hate wearing dresses!" An autoethnographic rant on dresses, boats and butchness.Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies. 2002;2:69-92.
19. Crenshaw K.Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color.Stanford Law Review. 1993;43:1241-1279.
20. Davis M.,Kennedy E.L.Oral history and the study of sexuality in the lesbian community: Buffalo, New York, 1940-1960.Feminist Studies. 1986;12:7-26.
21. Davison T.E.,McCabe M.P.Relationships between men's and women's body image and their psychological, social and sexual functioning.Sex Roles. 2005;52:463-475.
22. Dunne G.A.Lesbian lifestyles: Women's work and the politics of sexuality. Basingstoke, UK: MacMillan and University of Toronto Press; 1997:.
23. Dunne G.A.The different dimensions of gay fatherhood: Exploding the myths. London: London School of Economics; 1999:.
24. Dworkin S.H.Not in man's image: Lesbians and the cultural oppression of body image.Women&Therapy. 1988;8:27-39.
25. Elliston D.A.Female desires: Same-sex relationships and transgender practices across cultures. Blackwood E.Wieringa S.E., ed. New York, NY: Columbia University Press; 1999:230-252.
26. Eves A.Queer theory, butch/femme identities and lesbian space.Sexualities. 2004;7:480-496.
27. Faderman L.Odd girls and twilight lovers: A history of lesbian life in the twentieth century. London: Penguin Books; 1991:.
28. Fredrickson B.L.,Roberts T.A.Objectification theory: Toward understanding women's lived experiences and mental health risks.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 1997;21:173-206.
29. Gill R.Expand+Empowerment/sexism: Figuring female sexual agency in contemporary advertising.Feminism Psychology. 2008;18:35-60.
30. Gurevich M.,Bower J.,Mathieson C.,Dhayanandhan B.Out in psychology: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer perspectives. Clarke V.Peel E., ed. Chichester, UK: Wiley; 2007:217-241.
31. Haines M.E.,Erchull M.J.,Liss M.,Turner D.L.,Nelson J.A.,Ramsey L.R.,Hurt M.M.Predictors and effects of self-objectification in lesbians.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2008;32:181-187.
32. Halliwell E.,Dittmar H.Associations between appearance-related self-discrepancies and young women's and men's affect, body satisfaction, and emotional eating: A comparison of fixed-item and participant-generated self-discrepancies.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2006;32:447-458.
33. Hayfield N.J.Bisexual women's visual identities: A feminist mixed-methods exploration. Bristol, UK: University of the West of England; 2011:.
34. Hellawell D.Inside-out: Analysis of the insider-outsider concept as a heuristic device to develop reflexivity in students doing qualitative research.Teaching in Higher Education. 2006;11:483-494.
35. Herek G.M.,Kimmel D.C.,Amaro H.,Melton G.B.Avoiding heterosexist bias in psychological research.American Psychologist. 1991;46:957-963.
36. Hill M.S.,Fischer A.R.Examining objectification theory: Lesbian and heterosexual women's experiences with sexual- and self-objectification.Counseling Psychologist. 2008;36:745-776.
37. Holliday R.The comfort of identity.Sexualities. 1999;2:475-491.
38. Huxley C.J.An exploration of the sociocultural influences affecting lesbian and bisexual women's body image. Bristol, UK: University of the West of England; 2010:.
39. Huxley C.J.,Clarke V.,Halliwell E."If you've got girly appearance you can't possibly be gay": Lesbian and bisexual women discuss appearance. 2011a;:.
40. Huxley C.J.,Clarke V.,Halliwell E.Are lesbian and bisexual women 'protected' from sociocultural pressures to be thin? A qualitative study. 2011b;:.
41. Jefferson D.L.,Stake J.E.Appearance self-attitudes of African American and European American women: media comparisons and internalization of beauty ideals.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2009;33:396-409.
42. Kelly L.Lesbian body image perceptions: the context of body silence.Qualitative Health Research. 2007;17:873-883.
43. Kitzinger C.The social construction of lesbianism. London, England: Sage; 1987:.
44. Krakauer I.D.,Rose S.M.The impact of group membership on lesbians' physical appearance.Journal of Lesbian Studies. 2002;6:31-43.
45. Legenbauer T.,Vocks S.,Schäfer C.,Schütt-Strömel S.,Hiller W.,Wagner C.,Vögele C.Preference for attractiveness and thinness in a partner: Influence of internalization of the thin ideal and shape/weight dissatisfaction in heterosexual women, heterosexual men, lesbians, and gay men.Body Image. 2009;6:228-234.
46. Lev A.I.More than surface tension: Femmes in families.Journal of Lesbian Studies. 2008;12:127-144.
47. Levitt H.M.,Hiestand K.R.A quest for authenticity: Contemporary butch gender.Sex Roles. 2004;50:605-621.
48. Lyle J.,Jones J.,Drakes G.Beauty on the borderland: On being Black lesbian and beautiful.Journal of Lesbian Studies. 1999;3:45-54.
49. McClennen J.C.Researching gay and lesbian domestic violence: The journey of a non-LGBT researcher.Journal of Gay&Lesbian Social Services. 2003;15:31-45.
50. Mitchell K.S.,Mazzeo S.E.Evaluation of a structural model of objectification theory and eating disorder symptomatology among European American and African American undergraduate women.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2009;33:384-395.
51. Moradi B.,Huang Y.-P.Objectification theory and psychology of women: A decade of advances and future directions.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2008;32:377-398.
52. Morris J.F.,Rothblum E.Who fills out a "lesbian" questionnaire? The interrelationship of sexual orientation, years "out", disclosure of sexual orientation, sexual experience with women, and participation in the lesbian community.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 1999;23:537-557.
53. Morrow S.L.Quality and trustworthiness in qualitative research in counseling psychology.Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2005;52:250-260.
54. Myers A.,Taub J.,Morris J.F.,Rothblum E.Beauty mandates and the appearance obsession: Are lesbian and bisexual women better off?.Journal of Lesbian Studies. 1999;3:15-26.
55. Nguyen A.Patriarchy, power, and female masculinity.Journal of Homosexuality. 2008;55:665-683.
56. Peplau L.A.,Fingerhut A.,Beals K.P.The handbook of sexuality in close relationships. Harvey J.H.Wenzel A.Sprecher S., ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 2004:349-370.
57. Polimeni A.-M.,Austin S.B.,Kavanagh A.M.Sexual orientation and weight, body image and weight control practices among young Australian women.Journal of Women's Health. 2009;18:355-362.
58. Rose S.,Zand D.Lesbian dating and courtship from young adulthood to midlife.Journal of Gay&Lesbian Social Services: Issues in Practice, Policy&Research. 2000;11:77-104.
59. Rothblum E.D.Transforming lesbian sexuality.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 1994;18:627-641.
60. Sabik N.J.,Cole E.R.,Ward L.M.Are all minority women equally buffered from negative body image? Intra-ethnic moderators of the buffering hypothesis.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2010;34:139-151.
61. Smith J.A.,Flowers P.,Larkin M.Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory method and research. London, England: Sage; 2009:.
62. Strong S.M.,Williamson D.A.,Netemeyer R.G.,Geer J.H.Eating disorder symptoms and concerns about body differ as a function of gender and sexual orientation.Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 2000;19:240-255.
63. Taub J.Lesbians, levis and lipstick: The meaning of beauty in our lives. Cogan J.C.Erickson J.M., ed. New York, NY: The Haworth Press; 1999:27-36.
64. Taylor Y."If your face doesn't fit.." The misrecognition of working-class lesbians in scene space.Leisure Studies. 2007;26:161-178.
65. Thompson J.K.,Heinberg L.J.,Altabe M.,Tantleff-Dunn S.Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment and treatment of body image disturbance. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2002:.
66. Vanska A.Why are there no lesbian advertisements?.Feminist Theory. 2005;6:67-85.
67. Wagenbach P.Lesbian body image and eating issues.Journal of Psychology&Human Sexuality. 2003;15:205-227.
68. Walker L.Looking like what you are: Sexual style, race, and lesbian identity. London, England: New York University Press; 2001:.
69. Wheeler D.P.Methodological issues in conducting community-based health and social services research among urban black and African-American LGB populations.Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services. 2003;15:65-78.