I am interested in how different cultures define the ideal body, as even within my country, body ideals vary—people on the coast prefer curvier women, while in the center, thinness is valued. This observation led me to seek research on these differences, particularly among Hispanic women, to see whether my own experiences or those of people I know align with academic findings.
What they were trying to do in this analysis was look at two different age groups of Latina women to see how they view magazine body ideals and how they compare themselves, and to examine how culture, upbringing, and language might make this difference between these women.
The two groups used were Gen X, who range from 18-35, and Baby Boomers, who are 36-59; most of these women lived in Florida, United States. They were both women who had immigrated as well as first-generation women born into different Latina families, including Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Colombian. What they did was use the reactions they got from these women across 7 different magazines, with diversity in sizing, including very thin girls as well as curvier women, and then looked at all their reactions.
The purpose of this research was to explore different ideas, attitudes, and values regarding weight or appearance by examining magazine content. The research used the social comparison theory, which means people compare themselves and their bodies to media ideals found in these magazines. It also looked at how the women talk about their bodies and the vocabulary they use, such as ectomorph (thin), mesomorph (muscular and toned), and endomorph (larger or rounder).
One of the biggest things they were able to do during this investigation was to show that magazines were used as a body standard by both generations; they both realized that there is a promotion of thinness and social ideals, and most of them compare themselves to the images they see. Baby boomers, however, are more Likely to say that it is unrealistic but still think it is the standard that should be seen.
Because of their different ages there is different behavior they participate in for example Gen X think that being thin is something so important that they want to achieve it at all cost and it is seen through a lot of food restriction, laxatives, vomiting and a large amount of exercise and when they are asked what their ideal is they express that it is thin and toned images and they see larger bodies as being socially unacceptable when put into regular fashion magazines, they also have different motivations to look a certain way and most of them said it was attracting a partner and being competitive in the job market. However, baby boomers have a greater focus on health and well-being rather than being overly thin at all costs; they have different priorities, including family, career, and personal growth. However, if they have a preference, they prefer to be leaner and thinner but have less of a drive to make it happen, and they have slightly more tolerance for larger or curvier bodies.
When it comes to culture and language, there is a cultural split not only in how different women view it but in the language itself because when it comes to English magazines, there is more of the anorexic like ideal, and when there are Spanish magazines, there are more curves and more voluminous bodies, and they really talk about health in their magazines. Gen Z women prefer reading English magazines, which leads them to look at thinner examples and idealize that body shape. However, there is a lot of this coming from their mother since they say different things that might contradict each other; for example, there is pressure to be thin and their families wanting them to be thin, but there is the culture of hosting and cooking at eating which makes it different.
Some of the patterns that can be analyzed through this include the assimilation of standards across generations, how they are followed, and what is communicated from mother to daughter. One thing that is clear from reading all of this is that women who read English magazines assimilate with their ideal bodies being thin; however, there is more of a cultural acceptance with Latinas around curves and food traditions. In Colombia, body standards seem impossible to satisfy—when I was overweight, I was criticized, but after losing weight, I was still told I was too thin. This ongoing dissatisfaction shows the challenge of meeting contradictory standards. Ultimately, it highlights the need for women to focus on internal acceptance rather than external approval.
