“I am a fat baby, who moved to a fat child, who moved to a fat teenager, who moved to a fat adult”: Women’s reflections of a lifetime of body and weight concern

ABSTRACT

The present study explored how women aged 50–65 years reflect and make meaning of a lifetime of body and weight struggles. Seven purposefully selected women with longstanding body image challenges participated in interviews and reflected on their perceptions, thoughts, and emotions around their body and weight since childhood. Findings revealed consistent and consuming concerns about the body; prevalent body-related self-conscious emotions; influential social experiences that impact physical self-perceptions; and enduring impacts of weight bias, stigma, and discrimination. Collectively, these findings provide support for the stability of body disturbances and highlight the need to explore the unique body-related narratives of women in midlife.

KEYWORDS:

• Body image
• middle-age women
• self-conscious emotions
• weight stigma

Funding

Funding for this study was provided from research grants provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to Catherine Sabiston and a doctoral fellowship to Eva Pila by SSHRC.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study was provided from research grants provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to Catherine Sabiston and a doctoral fellowship to Eva Pila by SSHRC.