‘We are given a body to walk this earth’: the body pride experiences of young Aboriginal men and women

Abstract

Positive body image was initially conceptualised as the absence of negative body image, but it is now considered a unique and multifaceted construct. Within this new and flourishing body of literature, researchers have focused on various facets of positive body image including body pride. Body pride has been identified as a construct that may be instrumental to health and it is necessary to deepen understandings of this construct among culturally diverse populations. The purpose of this research was to explore the body pride experiences of young Aboriginal men and women. Using a community-based participatory research approach, eight young men and women that self-identify as Aboriginal (ages 20–25 years) shared their experiences of body pride through one-on-one interviews and photographs. A qualitative content analysis highlighted five themes representing body pride: (1) ‘your mind, your spirit, your body’, (2) ‘it’s a practice’, (3) ‘learned from my culture’, (4) ‘getting caught up in this western world’, and (5) ‘powerful’. This research makes a significant contribution to the body image literature in that it provides in-depth insight into the overlooked experiences of Aboriginal peoples and highlights culturally specific opportunities that may foster experiences of body pride.

Keywords:

• Positive body image
• qualitative
• community-based participatory research
• Indigenous
• Canada

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants who shared their knowledge and contributed their time and effort to this project.

Notes

1. Indigenous means ‘native to the area’ and usually refers to Aboriginal peoples internationally (National Aboriginal Health Organisation n.d.).

2. Aboriginal is an encompassing term that includes those individuals in Canada who self-identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis (Statistics Canada 2011).

3. Native American is a term that is often used in American contexts and it represents the descendants of the original peoples in North America (National Aboriginal Health Organisation n.d.).