Lesbians and the Internalization of Societal Standards of Weight and Appearance

ABSTRACT

Findings from a study of body image, weight concern, and disordered eating in lesbians are presented. While lesbians were more critical of traditional social norms regarding the rights and roles of women in general than heterosexual controls, this difference disappeared in regard to norms concerning women's weight and appearance. Dieting was frequent, almost half of the participants were dissatisfied with their weight, and self-esteem was strongly influenced by body esteem. A large number of lesbians said that physical attractiveness was important in a partner. However, lesbians' conception of physical attractiveness had a more functional quality, related to physical condition, and less concern for conventional aspects related to “looks” than heterosexual women. Involvement in lesbian, but not feminist, activities was found to be a protective factor against low body esteem. These findings are discussed in terms of understanding lesbians' relationships to beauty norms, variations across subgroups, and risk for eating problems.