Femininity, masculinity, and body image in a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women

ABSTRACT

This study expands the literature on body image among lesbian and bisexual women by examining the relationship between self-perceived gendered personality traits and expressions (i.e., sense of self in relation to cultural constructions of femininity and masculinity) and body satisfaction, a key body image construct. We used data from Wave 3 (2010–2012) of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study. The CHLEW includes a novel measure of gender expression, with masculinity and femininity as distinct but overlapping constructs. In the large analytic sample (N = 553), we found both similarities and differences in the association between femininity/masculinity and body image in lesbian and bisexual women. Bisexual women reported significantly lower body satisfaction than lesbian women. Higher masculinity was associated with greater body satisfaction in the full sample, but the association was stronger for bisexual than lesbian women. Femininity was positively associated with body satisfaction only for bisexual women. These findings suggest that masculinity and femininity play different roles in body satisfaction for lesbian and bisexual women and highlight the importance of disaggregating sexual identity in studies of sexual minority women’s health. Clinicians should routinely ask about sexual identity and gender expression, especially when presenting concerns involve body image or disordered eating.

KEYWORDS:

• Bisexual women
• body image
• body satisfaction
• gender expression
• lesbian women

Acknowledgments

The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIAAA, ORWH, or NIH. The authors would like to express their gratitude to all who participated in the CHLEW study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Research Grants No. [R01 AA13328] and [R56] (T. L. Hughes, Principal Investigator) from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Office for Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)/National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Veldhuis’ participation in this research was made possible through an NIH/NIAAA Ruth Kirschstein Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (F32AA025816; PI C. Veldhuis).