Understanding Negative Body Image and Its Consequences in Black Women from a Culturally Responsive Lens

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dc.contributor.authorArogundade, Tomiwa
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-20T20:33:42Z
dc.date.available2025-02-20T20:33:42Z
dc.date.issued2024-10
dc.description.abstractNegative body image in Black women is a critically understudied and misunderstood sociocultural issue that is often viewed from a Eurocentric lens, ignoring the cultural nuances that exist for Black women, which is reflective of the historical and systemic discrimination and erasure that Black women have long faced in North America. This capstone research project utilizes a thematic literature review of peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2024 to investigate how culturally specific factors shape and influence body image and the lived experiences of Black women. This review is guided by the question: How can we better understand body image concerns in Black women to provide culturally responsive counseling and treatment? Key findings reveal that negative body image is developed and influenced in adolescence by parents, family and friends, and for Black women is compounded by factors such as colorism, conflicting Eurocentric and cultural beauty standards, the strong, black woman persona, and media representations that portray Black women in a marginalized, caricatured, and stereotyped way. These culturally nuanced stressors are linked to mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders that are often undiagnosed and untreated due to systemic and cultural barriers, emphasizing the importance of culturally responsive therapeutic practices, community-based interventions, and culturally inclusive frameworks in both research and clinical practice to better understand and address the unique experiences of Black women with body image-related concerns.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/2699
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.institutionCity University of Seattle (CityU)
dc.subjectnegative body image
dc.subjectBlack women
dc.subjectcultural inclusivity
dc.subjectEurocentric beauty standards
dc.subjectculturally responsive therapy
dc.subjectculturally tailored therapeutic interventions
dc.titleUnderstanding Negative Body Image and Its Consequences in Black Women from a Culturally Responsive Lens
dc.typeCapstone
thesis.degree.disciplineCounselling
thesis.degree.grantorCity University of Seattle (CityU)
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Counselling
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